Coworker spaces are popping up around the city, allowing independent workers and small businesses to work under one roof.
The latest to come online is at the former Third Precinct police station at 2200 Hunt street, off of Gratiot, north of downtown Detroit, called the Hunt Street Station.
The owners, Matthew and Kevin Morin, have been working on the renovation on the three-story structure and are now welcoming new workers into the space, reports Robin Runyan of Curbed Detroit. The second floor is occupied by the owner's company, Macro Connect.
Runyan notes:
It should be noted that the renovation isn’t 100 percent done; some details including doors and some prominent windows are almost ready. The harsh winter extended the renovation, although the timeline is still impressive—Morin closed on the sale one year ago this weekend. In that time, they’ve learned a lot about the building, cleaned out relics from the colorful previous owner, and creatively solved renovation problems along the way.
The website describes the building this way:
The Hunt Street Station, which has a commanding view of Gratiot Avenue, is located on the corner of Hunt and Dubois near Detroit’s historic Eastern Market. It was completed in May of 1897 and served as the Third Precinct for Detroit’s Metropolitan Police Department for 63 years. Edward Van Leyen, who also designed the Belle Isle Casino was the project’s architect. The Station was vacated by the Police Department in January of 1960 when the Hunt and Chene precincts were merged into the Mack-Gratiot Precinct. Since then, the Station has been entrusted to a variety of private owners and on February, 29th, 1980, it was added to the National Register of Historic places.
In early 2017, Detroiters Matthew and Kevin Morin purchased the building and began a historical renovation to return the Station to its former glory. Once complete, Hunt Street Station will be the new home for Macro Connect, the Morins’ education technology consulting company. It will also offer substantial downtown Detroit coworking space for small businesses and independent professionals as well as more traditional office space for rent.