JACKSON, MI – Progress is being made to redevelop Jackson’s historic Hayes Hotel back to its original glory, and construction could start this year.
A presentation from the building’s developer, J. Jeffers & Co. of Milwaukee, was part of the Tuesday, Jan. 24 Jackson City Council meeting. The presentation revealed construction on the former hotel is planned to start in September, and the developers showed off what the 10-story building could look like once complete.
“It’s lived a long life, almost 100 years to date, and our plan is to make sure that we come up with something that leads us for the next 100 years,” J. Jeffers & Co. Senior Vice President Brian Loftin said. “We are very excited to have this opportunity. This project really is in our wheelhouse.”
In April 2021, the Jackson City Council voted unanimously to sell the property at 228 W. Michigan Ave. for $25,000 to J. Jeffers & Co. The $27-million project they’ve planned is expected to bring 84 apartments to the building, along with event, retail and commercial space.
The first floor will have restaurant and retail space, with a restored historic entrance and grand staircase. It will also have a private entrance in the back for residents living in the building, Loftin said.
The second floor will have a renovated grand ballroom, some office and commercial suites and a restored grand lobby, he said. The third floor will be geared toward commercial space, including a view to the grand ballroom.
“We will be working to identify potential tenants for this area, also looking at the possibility of doing sort of a flex office or co-working space,” Loftin said.
The remaining floors will be market-rate apartments, including a range of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Each will be designed with a simple layout, with open living room plans, stainless appliances and in-unit washers and dryers.
Studio apartments will be 510 square feet, one-bedroom apartments will be around 535 to 630 square feet and the two bedroom units will be 820 square feet.
“It’s modern kitchens and bathrooms,” Loftin said. “But there’ll be some historic detail and character.”
Renovations are also planned for the building’s exterior to bring it back to its former days, Loftin said. Updated landscaping and parking lot are expected to come with the building.
“Imagine bringing back the smaller-like detail items that are part of the building,” Loftin said. “So, the awnings, the signage, those type of things now becoming part of the building again. There’s great grand windows on the front of this building, and historically we would be bringing those back to their glory.”
Plans are to have the renovations done in early 2025, Loftin said.
The council voted to extend the city’s development agreement with J. Jeffers & Co. through the end of the year so the company can continue to seek additional funds and continue construction plans.
While several past deals with potential developers have fallen through, city officials said they believe this developer will finally make the the building revitalization happen, Mayor Daniel Mahoney said.
“We’ve got great faith in seeing this happen. This is going to happen,” Mahoney said. “Jackson is looking forward to it and we know we’ve got the right partners to make it happen.
The Hayes Hotel opened in November 1926, with a restaurant, a lounge, a grand ballroom and ornate fixtures throughout.
Related: Peek Through Time: Grand, glamorous Hayes Hotel drew out-of-towners, locals to downtown Jackson
However, it closed under mounting debt in 1975. Consumers Energy, which had purchased the building for $225,000 in 1973, converted the building, which was next door to its then headquarters, into office space.
The city bought the hotel property and its surrounding parking lots from Consumers Energy for $1.5 million in 2000. It also purchased the now-demolished Consumers Energy headquarters building and its parking lots for $300,000 in 2004, making the city’s total purchase price of the properties $1.8 million.
Related: How the city of Jackson plans to attract investors to historic Hayes Hotel building
The building has been vacant since 2003 when Consumers moved to its current Jackson headquarters. In the last 18 years, the city has spent roughly $1.5 million to preserve the structure, City Spokesman Aaron Dimick previously said.
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