The New Mixed Use
Walter French
Walter French
Variously known over the decades as Walter French Academy, Walter French Academy of Business and Technology, and Walter French Junior High School, the 1925 Walter French building educated generations of Lansingites. We transformed the former school into a mixed-use hub for its next century of service to the Lansing community.
Thinking beyond the usual mixed-use formula of housing plus retail, we helped our client, the Capital Area Housing Partnership (CAHP), reimagine Walter French as a nexus of community amenities. Today the site provides 76 affordable housing units, a daycare, a tool library, and CAHP’s offices.
A building of this magnitude that’s on the National Register is going to have its complications [regarding] not only what we can do, but how we can do it—and the price tag to get there. The Quinn Evans team was instrumental in helping us navigate that process.
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From Eyesore to Asset
By the time construction began, Walter French had been vacant for two decades. During that time the building experienced vandalism, water damage, and multiple fires; CAHP staff have described its pre-renovation state as “eerie” and like a “haunted house.” Today, Walter French is contributing to a neighborhood revitalization.
Designing to Multiple Standards
The project’s capital stack included historic tax credits, low-income housing tax credits, and a grant from Michigan’s Revitalization and Placemaking Program. We navigated the funding programs’ competing priorities to arrive at a design that was approved by all three of them. Learn more about stacking tax credits.
Sustainability for All
The project received National Green Building Standard Silver certification. Two of the residential floors are Net Zero Energy; their energy needs are met by solar panels mounted on carports outside, which generate 138,000 kWh of electricity per year. This low energy consumption keeps tenants’ utility costs down. Four electric vehicle charging stations are free to tenants and the public.
