Industrial sites · Michigan
Frederick Stearns Building
Completed condo conversion of historic industrial building; not a current development opportunity. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile4 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
3+ other atlas sites within 10 km
This site: 5 within 10 km computed · all sites with this30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent road
This site: 30,533 on E Jefferson Ave fhwa-hpms · all sites with thisReinhabited
This site: …condominiums record · all sites with thisHousing
This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Retrofit builtWikipedia no source |
|---|---|
| Strategy | ReinhabitedWikipedia no source |
| New uses | housingWikipedia no source |
| What is there now | condominiumsnewtypes-extraction reported |
Site context
| Housing permits, Wayne County (MI), 2024 | 1,227 units in 5+ unit buildings, 344 in 2–4, 1,058 single-family; 2023: 718 in 5+Census BPS |
|---|---|
| Other atlas sites nearby | 5 within 10 km, 13 within 25 km: Rogell Golf Course (3.6 km); Former MGM Grand Detroit temporary casino building (3.6 km); Former Rogell Golf Course (3.6 km); Industrial Building (3.8 km); Graybar Electric Company Building (4.6 km)computed |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 64,685 jobs in 5,616 establishments; average annual pay $41,403; employment location quotient 0.91; employment +0.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2021 | 388 jobs; 45 in retail trade, 24 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 26163516400)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2021 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 27th income percentile as adults; 6.6% incarcerated at the 2010 count (310 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 28.9%; median family income $24,625; 121 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Detroit Public Schools Community District (PK-12); 7 public schools within 1 mile: Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences; Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences Middle School; University Preparatory Science and Math PSAD High School; Moses Field CenterNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 599 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 201 county-logged events: 138 thunderstorm wind, 20 hail, 19 flood, 16 flash flood; $211,185,500 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 48207, 2026-09 | median list price $194,000 (-1.7% on the year); 82 active listings; median 95 days on market; 17% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 5,635 establishments (-7%); 70,575 jobs (+8%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $175,631 (+1% 1 yr, +21% 5 yr); typical rent $1,402/mo (+4% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 30,533 vehicles a day on E Jefferson Ave (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 825 trucks; 29 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Converted from manufacturing plant to condominiums (already built, per record).
Why. Strategy: 'reinhabit' (adaptive reuse). Historic designation noted (National Register 1980, Michigan State Historic Site 1981), but record doesn't link this to conversion.
Where it stands. Completed project; no current development opportunity (record states 'retrofit already built').
For a planner
- Housing market shows steady growth (ZHVI $175,631, +0.8% YoY; ZORI $1,402, +4.5% YoY).
- 5 nearby developments within 10km (including industrial buildings, golf courses, and 1 temporary casino building).
- Peer projects in MI show similar 'reinhabit' strategy (e.g., 4km away MGM Grand temporary casino building, 18km Fairlane Town Center).
For a developer
- Not a current opportunity (already built; 'opp_score' 0.0).
- No data on current occupancy, rent rates, or financials of the condominiums.
- No details on conversion costs or timeline.
What we do not know yet
- No vacancy rate or tenant data provided.
- No indication of how historic status influenced conversion process or costs.
- Record lacks post-conversion performance metrics.
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Similar sites
- Troy Community Center, Troy, MI · Other · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MI; 27 km away
- Former MGM Grand Detroit temporary casino building, Detroit, MI · Other · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MI; 4 km away
- Fairlane Town Center, Dearborn, MI · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MI; 18 km away
- Bella Vista Mall, Grand Blanc, MI · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MI
Elsewhere on the web
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- housing in the record
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Anchors | Frederick Stearns & Company |
|---|---|
| County | Wayne County |
| Census division | 3 · East North Central |
| Notes | Draft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: The Frederick Stearns Building, originally a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant completed in 1899, was converted to condominiums in 1989 and is now known as the Lofts at Rivertown. |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Background
The Frederick Stearns Building is a manufacturing plant located at 6533 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1981. It has been converted to condominiums. == History == Frederick Stearns & Company, established in 1855, was a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer in 19th century Detroit. In the late 1890s, Frederick K. Stearns (son of the firm's founder, Frederick A. Stearns) commissioned William B. Stratton to design this building (Stratton also designed Stearns's personal home, the Frederick K. Stearns House, a few years later).
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Sources
- Frederick Stearns Building · CC BY-SA 4.0
1 quoted sentence
Frederick Stearns Building
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