Plaza Towers

Plaza Towers is a mixed-use high-rise building on the Grand River waterfront in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rising approximately 345 feet, or 105 metres, it became one of the defining structures of the city's downtown skyline and held the distinction of being Grand Rapids' tallest building until the River House Condominiums were completed in 2008. The building is organized vertically around several forms of occupancy: apartments occupy floors 8 through 14, individually owned condominium residences occupy floors 15 through 32, and a 214-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel occupies floors 1 through 7. The project originated during a period of renewed downtown development in the late 1980s. Construction began in 1988 with financing reported at $60 million, involving Havlik, Amway, and a Japanese bank. When the tower opened in 1991, it was known as Eastbank Waterfront Towers and was presented as a major mixed-use addition to the central city. Its combination of residential, hotel, and commercial functions reflected an effort to intensify use of the downtown waterfront and attract residents, visitors, and workers to the area. The building soon encountered serious performance problems. Exterior concrete panels developed vertical cracks that allowed water to enter the structure, soaking interior carpets and contributing to mold. The project also experienced corroded piping, cooling-system failures, and ventilation problems in which air ducts circulated unpleasant odors. These defects required an unusually extensive intervention only a few years after opening. Plaza Towers was closed and underwent a comprehensive re-skinning and renovation from 1995 to 1997. The work was reported to cost $36 million and displaced approximately 250 residents and 160 employees for about two years. Amway financed the renovation and subsequently acquired majority ownership. Before the reopening, Radisson withdrew from the hotel project, and the building adopted the Plaza Towers name. The troubled development generated substantial legal conflict concerning alleged construction defects, the project's original cost, and the consequences of the long closure. Amway later sold the property to Eenhoorn LLC in 2001 for a reported $17.5 million. The reference material characterizes Amway's overall loss on the project as $31.5 million and describes its involvement as a philanthropic contribution to downtown development, although the precise accounting context is not detailed here. Plaza Towers has also faced episodic emergency evacuations. Small fires resulted in evacuations in 1996, 2001, 2002, and 2010. The 2010 incident began with a fire on the seventeenth floor and caused fire and water damage, but no injuries were reported. A more disruptive event occurred on April 20, 2013, when flooding from the Grand River entered the lower mechanical areas and basement parking garage. The garage accumulated more than seven feet of water in some areas, while roughly 80 vehicles were reported flooded by as much as eleven feet. A waterlogged generator produced smoke throughout the building. Concerns about a sanitary sewer line beneath the site led maintenance personnel to keep the lowest level flooded until the river receded, extending the closure. The building reopened on May 8, 2013. Today, Plaza Towers is best understood not as a conventional consumer brand but as the named identity of a prominent, continually occupied mixed-use property. Its significance rests on its role in Grand Rapids' downtown redevelopment, its unusual combination of residential and hospitality uses, and the highly publicized engineering, ownership, and emergency-management challenges that shaped its history.

Plaza Towers was developed during a late-1980s period of downtown construction in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Construction began in 1988 under the working development associated with Havlik, with financing reported at $60 million from Amway and a Japanese bank. The completed tower opened in 1991 as Eastbank Waterfront Towers. Its design and program combined hotel, apartment, condominium, and commercial functions, making it a significant mixed-use project for the city's waterfront district. The building's early operating history was marked by extensive defects. Vertical cracking in exterior cement panels allowed rainwater to penetrate the envelope, damaging carpets and contributing to mold. Corroded piping affected the cooling system, while air-distribution systems were reported to circulate foul odors. These problems required the tower to close only a few years after its opening. A major re-skinning and renovation program was carried out from 1995 through 1997 at a reported cost of $36 million. Approximately 250 residents and 160 building employees were displaced during the work, which lasted about two years. Amway financed the intervention and obtained majority ownership. Radisson left the hotel project before reopening, and the building was renamed Plaza Towers. The defects and renovation produced multiple legal disputes involving construction quality, the project's initial cost, and the effects of the displacement. In 2001, Eenhoorn LLC purchased the building from Amway for a reported $17.5 million. The available account states that Amway sustained a $31.5 million loss on the project and regarded its involvement partly as a contribution to downtown development. At approximately 345 feet, Plaza Towers was Grand Rapids' tallest building until the completion of River House Condominiums in 2008. Its internal arrangement remained distinctive: a 214-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel occupied the first seven floors, apartments were located on floors 8 through 14, and individually owned condominiums occupied floors 15 through 32. The property experienced several emergency evacuations associated with small fires, recorded in 1996, 2001, 2002, and 2010. The 2010 event involved a seventeenth-floor fire and caused fire and water damage without reported injuries. On April 20, 2013, flooding from the Grand River entered the lower mechanical space and basement garage. More than seven feet of water entered the garage, approximately 80 vehicles were affected, and some vehicles were submerged under as much as eleven feet of water. A flooded generator sent black smoke through the building. Maintenance personnel also had to account for a sanitary sewer line beneath the site, keeping the lowest level flooded until the river level fell to reduce possible erosion concerns. The evacuation continued until May 8, 2013, when the building reopened.

• 2013

  Grand River flood forces prolonged evacuation

  [1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Flooding damaged the lower levels and basement garage, and the building remained closed until May 8.

• 2008

  No longer Grand Rapids' tallest building

  [1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  River House Condominiums surpassed Plaza Towers in height.

• 2001

  Eenhoorn acquires the property

  [1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Eenhoorn LLC purchased Plaza Towers from Amway for a reported $17.5 million.

• 1997

  Renovation completed and Plaza Towers name adopted

  [1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  The multi-year renovation concluded; Radisson had withdrawn from the project and the property reopened as Plaza Towers.

• 1995

  Major closure and renovation begins

  [1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Severe water-intrusion and building-system problems led to closure and a major re-skinning program.

• 1991

  Tower opens as Eastbank Waterfront Towers

  [1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  The completed high-rise opened under the Eastbank Waterfront Towers name with hotel, apartment, condominium, and commercial uses.

• 1988

  Construction begins

  [1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Construction started on the downtown Grand Rapids mixed-use tower, with financing reported at $60 million involving Havlik, Amway, and a Japanese bank.

A prominent downtown waterfront mixed-use property combining residential living, condominium ownership, and hotel accommodation in a high-rise landmark.

• Residential rental · 1991

  Apartment residences

  Apartments occupy floors 8 through 14 of the tower, forming the rental-residential component of the mixed-use program.

• Residential condominium · 1991

  Condominium residences

  Individually owned condominium units occupy floors 15 through 32, providing the tower's upper-level owner-occupied residential component.

• Hospitality · 1991

  Courtyard by Marriott hotel

  A 214-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel occupies floors 1 through 7, giving the property a substantial hospitality function alongside its residential uses.

• 2001

  Sale from Amway to Eenhoorn LLCM&A

  Background

  Following the costly renovation and disputes surrounding the development, Amway exited its ownership position.

  Action taken

  Eenhoorn LLC acquired Plaza Towers from Amway.

  Aftermath

  The property continued operating as a mixed-use tower under the Plaza Towers identity.

  Reported acquisition price. $17.5 million (2001)

  Source

• 1995

  Full building re-skinning and rehabilitationStrategy

  Background

  Cracked exterior panels, water intrusion, mold-related damage, corroded pipes, and HVAC problems made the original building systems unreliable soon after opening.

  Action taken

  The property was closed and underwent a major re-skinning and renovation program financed by Amway.

  Aftermath

  The work displaced approximately 250 residents and 160 employees for about two years. Radisson left the project before reopening, and the building adopted the Plaza Towers name.

  Reported renovation cost. $36 million (1995-1997)

  Source

• 2013

  Plaza Towers evacuated after Grand River flooding[1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Floodwater entered the building's lower mechanical areas and basement parking garage, damaging vehicles and contributing to a prolonged evacuation. Plaza Towers reopened on May 8 after the river receded and building systems were assessed.

• 2010

  Seventeenth-floor fire prompts evacuation[1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A fire on the seventeenth floor caused fire and water damage and led to an evacuation. No injuries were reported.

• 1995

  Plaza Towers undergoes major re-skinning and renovation[1]Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Structural and building-system defects, including cracked exterior panels, water intrusion, corroded pipes, and HVAC problems, led to a full closure and multi-year renovation.

1. 1Plaza Towersen.wikipedia.org