Michigan Central Acquires Historic Church That Was Home To Music Recording Studio
Home to several congregations and recently used as a recording studio by dozens of Detroit musicians, the historic Corktown Church will enter a new phase as the Michigan Central Mobile Campus of the Ford Motor Company.
After Ford's real estate division purchased the property from Detroit music company Gather Sound, the organization will renovate a church next to a former train station that serves as the campus anchor, Michigan Central executives confirmed Wednesday.
It is not yet known what the property will be used for, but representatives from both sides say it will secure the future of the church as Assemble Sound will no longer be able to operate there.
According to HistoricDetroit.org, the church at 2300 17th St. consecrated in 1873 as the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. The architect of the building in the German Gothic style is Karl Schmidt.
The churchyard was sold to Israel in 1952. In 1982, the church building was sold to the Church of La Iglesia de Jesus Christ. Grace to Grace purchased the Christian Brotherhood Church in 1999 and ran it until 2009. However, two other campus buildings remained unused for decades.
As The Detroit News previously reported, the property was empty from 2010 to 2015.
In March 2015, they purchased the church and turned it into a recording studio and co-working space with 24/7 access for musicians. The company later purchased two more lots on the church grounds. There, the company, which offers synchronous licensing, artist development, artist management, marketing, and label services, offers musicians a space to produce musical genres of hip-hop, R&B, rock, techno, and more.
The company is currently refurbishing the premises but has suspended operations due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Over the past two and a half years, we have evolved into a company with diverse interests in the same physical space and experienced a variety of building environments with very high costs on all fronts,” Gathered Sound said in a social media post last year. . Company's IPO announcement. Property. “In short, it became financially impossible for us to renovate the church. If we make a decision now because we need to renovate the building as needed, we will put the entire music business at risk.”
“Put simply, church purchases make community voting possible, but reforms make our future impossible,” he wrote.
Gathered Voice sold the property last August. He then contacted Michigan Central executives to see if they were interested in buying it. They want to make sure that the collected clay reaches its owners, who don't use it, before it gets a new life.
Ford Land bought the property for $1.5 million, Garrett Koehler of Assemble Sound Management said. The sale was first reported by Crain's Detroit Business.
The facility will be part of the 30-acre Ford Central Mobility campus in Michigan, which is valued at nearly $1 billion. Part of the campus, the Book Depository, opened earlier this year as NewLab headquarters in Detroit. Dozens of startups in the building are working on various mobility initiatives. The former railway station is scheduled to open next year after extensive renovations.
About 5,000 workers will fill the campus, Ford said, half from automakers and half from other companies working on electric and autonomous vehicle projects.
How Michigan Central will use the space is still an open question, spokesman Dan Austin said.
Currently, the stabilization of the bell tower is a top priority, given the security risks. It was planned that the bell tower would be dismantled, rebuilt, and then reassembled. In addition, Michigan State officials plan to consult with local communities about the future use of church property.
While we do not actively seek additional real estate in the Central Michigan area, we consider this historic church to be a notable exception. Katherine Kelly, Media Director, Michigan Center. Statement: Like the previous owners of Meeting Sound, we are deeply concerned about the long-term health of this 19th century church and believe it is an important part of our neighborhood's history.
"Our priority is to work closely with the City of Detroit and the Departments of Public Safety, Engineering and Environmental Protection," he added. “Like our neighbors, we want it to be preserved and we will do our best to make it happen. After an examination, we decided that it needed to be temporarily removed so that it could be restored normally. Over the next few weeks, once the structure is stable, we will be able to better determine the future use of the building.”
Meanwhile, Assemble Sound plans to announce its new headquarters in the city this summer, Koehler said.
"This sale will allow us to invest in a music company that has had a positive impact on the lives of many Detroit musicians," the company said in a statement. "Our physical space has always served this fundamental mission."
“It was clear that they had a vision for these buildings, which they articulated very clearly in their visionary work with the bookstore and train depot,” Koehler added, speaking with Michigan Central executives, including CEO Josh Cyrifman. We can't wait to see how your team will give this historic building that means so much to so many people the love it needs and deserves. Our own company, Gathering Sound, was instrumental in realizing our original vision. In an exciting new location to be announced next year.
jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com
