A broom factory that never stopped working
The Webster Building went up in 1913 on the west side of Grand Rapids, three minutes from downtown. Load-bearing brick, heavy timber beams, floors built to carry machinery, and tall windows because electricity was expensive and daylight was free. Businesses have been working out of it ever since.
We bought it 113 years later and made one decision first: we are not covering it up. The brick stays exposed. The timber stays exposed. The floors stay. What a tenant walks into is the building itself, not a rendering of one.
Everything you cannot see is new. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing throughout. New glazing, and glass block where openings had been bricked shut decades ago. New toilet rooms built to current accessibility standards. Sprinklered throughout. Phone-based access with no keys or fobs.
1913 on the surface. 2026 underneath.
Kept
Load-bearing brick, exposed. Original timber beams and columns. The floors. The 1913 footprint and the daylight it was designed around.
Replaced
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing, all new. New glazing and glass block. All-new ADA-compliant toilet rooms. Sprinkler coverage throughout. State-of-the-art security and building access.
A documentary series is being filmed as the renovation runs — one clip of the beams coming clean is worth more than any amount of copy. Follow along on TikTok for more updates!