Eye candy of the week

Assessed value: $28,900

Owner: 313 East Grand River, LLC

Located in Old Town, this unassuming structure has an equally humble beginning. The building is narrow, measuring a mere 17 feet wide, and sits adjacent to the Pennsylvania Lines railway. It was constructed in 1915 in response to repeated public requests for a public restroom in North Lansing. Now called the Thelma Joyce Osteen Comfort Station, in recognition of the woman known informally as “The Mayor of North Lansing,” the building serves as the offices of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network.

The brick building’s front elevation features a shallow elliptical arch with keystone, springing from the capitals of wide brick columns. Three large, double-hung windows and a simple building cornice mark the elevation’s upper level. Access to the upper level is offered by a pair of staircases, one from the Grand River entrance and the other along a walkway on the east elevation, covered by the overhanging upper level.

Recent modifications have provided barrier-free access to the entire building, via ramps and a new mechanical lift. In keeping with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, the interior renovations maintain the open appearance of the original building while providing for individual offices and private conference space.

— Daniel E. Bollman, AIA

“Eye Candy of the Week” is our look at some of the nicer properties in Lansing. It rotates with Eyesore of the Week.

If you have a suggestion, please e-mail eye@lansingcitypulse. com or call Andy Balaskovitz at 999-5064.