Construction to begin on industrial office spaces in downtown Royal Oak

Once upon a time, white collar workers would have turned their nose up at the idea of working in an old factory. Not these days. Case in point: Downtown Royal Oak where an industrial facility is set to be turned into Class A office space in June.

“The developer is a longtime Royal Oak business owner who has a couple of properties downtown,” says Jim Schneider, president of Royal Oak-based Schnieder+Smith Architects, which is designing the project. “He sees demand for warehouse-looking office space.”

The project will breathe new life into a conglomeration of half-century-old industrial buildings on 120 E Hudson, just south of where the train tracks intersect with Main Street. Two of the four buildings have been razed and the other two will be turned into 17,000 square feet of loft-style office space.

The space will be designed with an eye for attracting creative class businesses that often shun traditional working spaces. So far one graphic advertising agency has reserved space.

Source: Jim Schneider, president of Royal Oak-based Schnieder+Smith Architects
Writer: Jon Zemke