On Monday, December 30, 2025, Albion residents were invited inside one of downtown’s most recognizable historic buildings during a public tour of the newly completed Hayes Block Apartments at 106–108 E. Erie Street. The open house offered a first look at the finished apartments before tenants move in, providing rare access to the interior of a building that has been part of Albion’s streetscape for nearly 150 years.
Despite icy winter conditions, approximately 50 people stopped by during the afternoon and early evening, moving through the upper levels of the building. Visitors could look out across downtown Albion and see another of the city’s prominent Second Empire–style buildings along Superior Street, a reminder of the architectural era that shaped much of the historic district.
Before-and-after display boards placed throughout the building documented the scope of the renovation, showing interior spaces prior to construction alongside the completed apartments now ready for occupancy. The displays illustrated the extent of the work required to bring the long-vacant structure back into use.
The Hayes Block redevelopment includes nine residential units. According to ACE Investment Properties manager Joe Verbeke, the layout consists of one ADA-accessible apartment on the first floor, four on the second floor, and four on the third floor. The ADA unit was not open during the tour due to weather conditions. An elevator at the rear of the building will provide access to the upper floors.
Interior layouts emphasize natural light, high ceilings, and updated kitchens and bathrooms, while retaining historic proportions and select original details. Decorative elements, including a restored fireplace surround, reflect the building’s 19th-century origins. Updated mechanical systems and new infrastructure were installed throughout the building to meet current standards.
The project represents a public–private partnership involving ACE Investment Properties, the City of Albion, the Albion Economic Development Corporation, and the State of Michigan. According to a press release issued by the Michigan Executive Office of the Governor in April 2025, the total anticipated capital investment for the Hayes Block redevelopment is $3,614,068. State support included $1,325,000 through Michigan’s Revitalization and Placemaking Program and $310,283 in State Brownfield Tax Increment Financing to address eligible brownfield conditions at the site.
The Revitalization and Placemaking Program provides gap financing for place-based redevelopment projects, particularly those involving vacant or underutilized buildings in downtown areas. Brownfield tax increment financing allows certain redevelopment and remediation costs to be reimbursed over time through future property tax revenue generated by the project.
Verbeke said construction moved quickly once funding approvals were secured. “It was about nine months after we got the go-ahead,” he said, noting that most of the project’s funding came from private investment, with state programs helping close the remaining financing gap.
ACE Investment Properties originally acquired the building in early 2020, prior to the 2021 transfer of the property to Hayes Block LLC as part of the redevelopment process.
While the building is now complete, leasing is still underway. “Currently, four of the nine units are leased,” Verbeke said. “We’re probably battling winter a bit on this, as fewer people are looking to move this time of year in general.”
The ground-floor commercial space is already active. Mitchell Golf Performance Studio has opened at 108 E. Erie Street and is holding classes. “They’re open and holding class as I type this,” Verbeke said in an email following the open house, noting that the studio was hosting about 10 participants in a class during the week.
Built around 1875, the Hayes Block was constructed by local master builders J.W. Hayes and J.D. Hayes during a period of rapid downtown growth following the Civil War. The three-story brick commercial block is a classic example of Second Empire architecture, characterized by its mansard roof, dormer windows, and decorative brickwork. The building is part of Albion’s Superior Street Commercial Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the decades, the Hayes Block has housed a variety of businesses and offices. Albion historian Frank Passic has documented that the building once housed the offices and press of The Albion Recorder newspaper in the early 20th century. Historic photographs from that period show the building as a hub of local civic and commercial life.
During the renovation, evidence of prior fire damage was uncovered, particularly on the third floor, requiring additional repairs before construction could proceed. Addressing these conditions was one reason brownfield redevelopment tools were included in the project’s financing.
Albion is notable for retaining two prominent Second Empire–style commercial buildings within its downtown core. In addition to the Hayes Block on East Erie Street, the former Sheldon Block—also known historically as the Parks Drug building—along South Superior Street dates to the early 1870s and remains a defining architectural feature of downtown. The ability to see one building from the other underscores the continuity of Albion’s historic commercial center.
The Hayes Block redevelopment follows other downtown Albion projects supported by state and local redevelopment tools, including the Peabody Building, Erie Street Apartments, and Brick Street Lofts. Together, these projects reflect an ongoing effort to adapt historic structures for contemporary use while adding housing and commercial activity to the city’s core.
With construction complete, the commercial space active, and tenants beginning to move in, the Hayes Block has returned to daily use after years of vacancy. The building’s reopening marks another chapter in Albion’s long downtown history—one shaped by preservation, reinvestment, and the practical challenges of restoring an aging structure.
