lo res - The Village at Grand Traverse Commons

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R e-making History This historic site is one of three Thomas Story Kirkbride mental health facilities built in Michigan at the turn of the century which implemented the new-wave treatment philosophy of “beauty is therapy.” At the height of operation, over five thousand patients, physicians, nurses, and staff worked and lived in an environment of beauty and self-sustainability. The facility served as a state asylum from 1886 until its closure in 1989. The central hospital complex spans one-quarter mile in length and is comprised of over 380,000 square feet of magnificent solid brick construction. Additional structures were added as the facility expanded to include spacious “cottages” for patients and staff housing, a bakery, furniture making, laundry, greenhouses, food processing, cold storage, and carpentry shops, pastures for a world-renowned dairy herd, cropland, barns, and a massive power plant. Rare species of trees, expansive manicured lawns and gardens further enhanced the site’s tranquility. The development and gradual success of drug therapy, mental health care philosophies, the decline in institutionalization, and subsequent lack of funding, forced the Traverse City facility, and many others across the country, to close its doors. Between 1989 and 2000, the neglected site fell prey to the elements. Its exceptional design theories, which utilized maximum air circulation, essentially averted more serious deterioration, yet demolition of the entire facility seemed inescapable. For the next two years, however, the entire community rallied to save its historic legacy, and a search for a developer was underway. Ray Minervini, historic renovator, builder, and visionary, was soon destined to embarked on a path less traveled. Utilizing the guiding principles of new urbanism and smart growth, he and The Minervini Group spearheaded plans to create a vibrant, mixed-use community. After months of due diligence, the Master Plan was overwhelmingly approved by the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Commission, and transfer of ownership was awarded The Minervini Group in May 2002. The rest of the story is history-making. Historic preservation and mixed-use redevelopment has proven to be one of the most effective responses to sustainable long-term economic growth in cities across the country. Its more intangible effects are incalculable: The Village at Grand Traverse Commons represents the region’s stability and pride, and the universal desire to increase connectivity, activity, and social interaction. It stands testament to the entrepreneurial spirit, and the creative commitment to place-making for today, and for generations to come.
An Impressive Array of Village Merchants and Businesses Trattoria Stella Restaurant Gallery Fifty Premier Floral Design Jeanette Veeder Designs Tastes of Black Star Farms Silvertree Deli Posh Pet Boutique Sweet Asylum Boutique a la Vie Fixed Gear Gallery Green Canopy Fashion Collective Cuppa Joe Left Foot Charley Urban Winery Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery Underground Cheesecake Company Higher Grounds Trading Company Amalgamated Sage Anthology Avero Research Bay Energy Services Big Water Media Blue Drive Concierge CML Marketing Communications Central Park Therapy Circle of Blue Media Via Common Counsel Cosmetic Skin & Laser Clinic DES Electric Services Peg Dunn, CNM Edible Grand Traverse T. Eftaxiadis Global Recruiters Grobbel Environmental Harbor Home Health Care Heron Wind Manufacturing LindyLazar Marketing MAM Contracting, Inc. The Minervini Group, LLC Marsha Minervini, Realtor Nealis Engineering Northern Express Publications Pavilion Title Agency Paxton Photography Petersen Productions Ramona Pleva, CMT Rauth Photographic Salone de Capelli Select Fine Wine Brokers Shoreline Distributing Richard Vida & Partners Spireworks Events & Promotions Stand Out Productions Dan Tholen, MS Kate Thornhill, CPA Town & Country Real Estate Traverse Digital Traverse Legal, PLC Vector Computer Technologies Village Family Medical Practice Watershed Church Werthmann Life Coaching Yoga for Health © TMG / SW 2009 The Vibrant Village Lifestyle
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Page 7 and 8: S tatistics From 1990 to 2000, popu
Page 9: L OCATION Adaptive reuse is the cre

lo res - The Village at Grand Traverse Commons

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