"Thursday's Tour....."

On Thursday of our vacation in Traverse City, we took a tour of some of the condos in Grand Traverse Commons. Some were available for purchase while others were shown to us so that we could see some the uniqueness of the renovations. There are 62 condos completed in the renovation so far and each one is a little different from the others, even when located in the same place, but different floor in the building. Some of the footprints may be very similar but the finishing within them creates a different feel.

Notice the very cool dormer?

This was one of the larger condos. One interesting fact about this renovation project is that the plaster inside the building MUST stay intact, "unless" there has been some damage to it prior to renovating. Meaning if a window had been broken, allowing rain to come in and damage the plaster, then "that individual walls" plaster could be removed, but no more. That is why you will see some exposed brick in the condos, but not every wall.

This is the same condo as the previous photo. If you look closely, you will see an "attic type ceiling ladder" at the top of the circular stairs. Not every top floor condo has been created using some of the attic space, but several have access to the spires that top the roof of the building. You'll see what I mean when I post some outside photos of the building. This ladder allows access to one of the spires, which in turn, gives one a fantastic view of the entire Traverse City/ East and West Bays area. Don was given a chance to go up into this particular spire and see the view on our last visit. I declined.......I am not good with heights, nor did I have "good" knees (Thank you Dr. Lemon!) at that time.

Another smaller condo with some of the original colored glass............

One of my favorite condos had this stairway and "bridge". The space was fantastic! Another little fact about the renovation, due to it being a historical building.....skylights are only permitted on the back side of the roof. Oh! Solar tubes are also used in a few cases, too, bringing in extra light for some inner spaces.

The last unit we went into would have suited us very well. Although only a 1 bedroom, it was divided into wonderful spaces and I would have had plenty of space for my loom and other fiber related equipment and accessories. Through these doors (original colored glass, too), it also had direct access to a covered porch!

Give us a few more years and we'll see where we stand on Don's retirement. We certainly enjoyed our "test stay" at Grand Traverse Commons, not only for the physical space we occupied, but for the surrounding amenities that we had access to on the grounds. Bakery, winery, coffee roaster, farmers market, and all the shops in the garden level of the building, plus restaurant/delis.......whats not to love, eh? ;)