Red Arrow Lofts

Built in 1892, the building is located at 1567 Church Street in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. The building has a vibrant history originally constructed as the John Whitaker Planing Mill and later, under the moniker Red Arrow Bottling Co., used as a soda pop bottling facility from the early 1900s into the 1970s. The company bottled famous sodas such as Orange Crush and Red Arrow Bottling Plant’s own line of sodas in the building. The building is a two-story industrial building of timber construction with large, exposed timber columns and beams and a series of historic roof monitors and skylights which let light into the second floor.

KDG served as Architect, Interior Designer and Historic Consultant on the adaptive reuse of this historic building into a multi-family apartment building with 28 units. KDG worked carefully with the client to carefully design a residential reuse which highlights the existing architecture and retained as much historic material as possible. Unit design highlights the exposed timber framing elements which were retained, and centers living areas below the historic roof monitors and skylights to create sunny apartments with unique historic features.
As interior designer, KDG selected sleek and modern finishes which contrasted with the historic fabric of the building. A highlight of the building is the large, two-story atrium of the building – historically used to house large equipment. This double height space is reinvigorated as a lounge for residents. A new skybridge crosses the space on the second floor and creates a unique circulation experience for residents. KDG is excited to bring new life to this staple building in the Corktown neighborhood.