For all the bad news coming out of Flint for the last 30 years, it's easy to overlook some of the successes. With that in mind, I present...the Durant Hotel.
Kris Turner of The Flint Journal reports:
The former Durant Hotel is filling up faster than anticipated and its developer is eyeing other downtown buildings for future housing projects.Since reopening last fall following a nearly $30 million renovation, the Durant’s 93 apartments are already at 75 percent occupancy.
That’s ahead of schedule and vastly exceeded the expectations of Richard Karp, the Lansing-based developer behind the building’s overhaul.
“We didn’t expect to be this far until spring 2011,” he said. “We’re quite pleased with the robust activity.”
Jack Wolbert and Alejandra Arceo flew in from California to get married at the newly restored Durant last summer. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Garza/The Flint Journal)
Given Flint's lack of interest in historic preservation, it's hard to believe the Durant survived, especially when you watch these videos illustrating just how far it had deteriorated.
Let's close with a few shots of the Durant from the days when Flint kids attended etiquette lessons before dining at the hotel.
