A 100-year-old Detroit apartment building west of Henry Ford Hospital that emptied out and fell into disrepair has undergone a full rehab — one that some said couldn’t be done — and will soon welcome its first occupants in more than a decade.
The 83-unit, 4½-story building, 1800 W. Bethune St., is set to reopen Feb. 1 as the Bethune Lofts with asking rents on the lower end of what is typically found in newly built or rehabbed buildings in the city.
The building also features unique and energy-saving heat pumps for heating and cooling in its apartments that are more commonly found in Europe, although starting to catch on in North America.
The roughly $10 million redevelopment was done by Design Build Detroit, a family-run company whose founder and chief executive, Michael Rivait, 65, moved his business to Detroit from Windsor in 2000.
Rivait, who also now lives in Detroit, has a background as an architect and licensed builder, which he says helps to control construction costs for his projects — allowing him to not have to charge high rents.