22-Story Towers in Downtown Detroit Sold

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorDetroit — The Northern Group has announced that it will acquire Lafayette Towers, the two 22-story-building complex in Lafayette Park, just east of downtown Detroit.Designed by Mies van der Rohe, the Lafayette Towers are part of the larger 78-acre Lafayette Park, which includes the largest collection of Mies van der Rohe buildings in the world.Lafayette Towers joins New York-based Northern Group’s already-substantial Detroit portfolio with Alden Park Towers apartments on the Detroit river, east of downtown, and “The Downtown Collection” of office buildings.“We have invested in Detroit for the last five years and continue to be committed to trying to change the view of downtown Detroit,” John Zich, director of special projects at Northern Group tells MHN. “It is not a downtrodden, crime-infested neighborhood, but in fact, a place where a lot of young people are moving to. There is a lot of growth in the area,” he says.The property includes 584 rental apartments featuring wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-floor window walls in aluminum and glass-skinned towers.Amenities include 24-hour attended gatehouse with concierge, fitness centers in each tower, heated outdoor swimming pool with sundeck, laundry facilities, cable and high-speed Internet outlets, covered parking, air conditioning, and storage facilities. The two-story lobbies of each tower are lined with terrazzo floors and marble walls surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass.Lafayette Towers overlook a 19-acre park, designed by landscape architect Alfred Caldwell, with a network of walking and jogging paths connecting a mix of high rises, two-story townhouses, tennis and basketball courts, playground, elementary school and small shopping center.