1500 Woodward Block

Remodeling Woodward Ave

History and Character Preservation

Sachse Construction was hired to remodel three historic buildings on Woodward Avenue’s prestigious 1500 block. The three buildings included 1500 Woodward Ave., 1520 Woodward Ave., and 1528 Woodward Ave.. Sachse remodeled each building and converted each floor-plate into office space. The renovations consisted of completely updating most of the building’s interior and infrastructure, including the installation of elevators and new MEP systems.

Sachse Construction also led the core and shell work and renovations of 1515-15259 Woodward Avenue. These buildings were originally built in 1908 and underwent an addition of three floors in the 1930s. The buildings underwent their third major renovation to modernize the MEP systems and create white box spaces for future tenants to customize.

One unique feature of the project was the importance of preserving the buildings’ history and character since they were originally built in the early 1900s. To ensure the buildings kept their character, the project team created façades that mimic the original features by using customized fiberglass panels modeled from pieces of the existing façade.

Working within the bustling central business district in Detroit, the Sachse Construction team was challenged early on in the project with finding a location for an onsite crane which was necessary for the renovation.

Specifically, the crane could not be placed in the street and had to be installed safely to not disrupt vehicular, public transportation (QLine), or pedestrian traffic. To overcome this, the team installed the crane on the roof of the buildings so it could be suspended down the façades.