From Historic Power Plant
to High-Tech Headquarters

An abandoned 1930s power plant along the downtown Lansing riverfront has been transformed into Accident Fund Holdings, Inc.’s new headquarters.

Ottawa Street Station, a coal-fired power plant, was built during the Great Depression and generated electricity to the Lansing area for more than 50 years.

The solution for reusing the largely floorless, 164-foot-tall tower came through a public-private partnership. The Christman Company, a developer and contractor, assembled a large package of public incentives and worked with a large group of partners including HOK, TowerPinkster and Quinn Evans Architects to design 122,000 square feet of Class A office space into the historic building. The project also included a 105,000-sq.-ft., C-shaped addition that reflects the scale and materials of the original Art Deco-style building.

The team’s LEED Gold design preserves the industrial character of the 9-story building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The design reconfigured the interior floor plates. Hanging new floors in the original turbine hall provided the floor area for office space while protecting the historic glazed tile walls. The project included the restoration of the visually complex masonry exterior and the installation of new energy-efficient windows with custom details matching the original windows.