After 40 years empty, Jefferson-Chalmers apartment building brought back to life

Candice Williams
The Detroit News

Detroit — For decades Craig Williams and his family watched an apartment building on Marlborough, just south of East Jefferson, fall into disrepair as it sat empty for nearly 40 years. He and his siblings, who live in separate homes on the block, were all interested in what would become of the property.

On Thursday, Williams and his sisters-in-law Cescily Spikes and Marcia Williams looked on as developers, city officials and other stakeholders celebrated the opening of the renovated Marlborough Apartments at 910 Marlborough in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood.

The opening of the restored historic Marlborough Apartments at 910 Marlborough is celebrated Thursday in Detroit's Jefferson-Jefferson neighborhood.

“It’s nice on the inside,” said Craig Williams, 57, who had taken a community tour. “Three-bedrooms, two-bedrooms. Real spacious, central air. They did a good job. They did a very good job. It upped the property value for us.”

Jefferson East Inc. and its subsidiary, East Jefferson Development Corporation, are the developers of the eight-unit Marlborough Apartments, the first of two historic 1927 buildings to reopen after sitting vacant for decades. The other building, on the north side of Jefferson at 1031 Marlborough, will have 15 units and is expected to open in October. That building had been empty for 50 years, said Mayor Mike Duggan.

Mayor Mike Duggan speaks at the grand reopening of the first of two historic Marlborough apartment buildings on Detroit's east side on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022.

“For 40 to 50 years, nobody had had any use for these beautiful structures,” said Duggan. “Why? Because people had been leaving this city for decades. This is about the city that we're trying to build. And JEI and all their affiliates, Kresge. All the partners deserve enormous credit.”

Between the two buildings, 13 units are reserved for tenants with incomes between 50% and 60% of the area median income. An affordable two-bedroom unit at 910 Marlborough starts at $848 a month and a three-bedroom unit starts at $914 a month, said Joshua Elling, CEO of JEI and interim CEO of EJDevCo.,

Elling said the community had a tour of the development on Wednesday and so far one unit has been leased.

“One of the biggest things we've heard from residents over the years is the critical need for deeply affordable rental housing,” he said. “And with the Marlborough project, we are delivering on the neighborhood vision to meet this vital community need.”

JEI purchased the two buildings in 2018 and spent more than $7.1 million to renovate them, officials said.

The effort was made possible through the city's commitment of $2.5 million in federal HOME funding and $1.4 million in community development block grant funds. Twain Financial contributed $819,000 through historic tax credit equity and Enterprise Community Partners committed more than $1.6 million in project financing through its Community Development Financial Institution Enterprise Community Loan Fund. The project also received the support of the Kresge Foundation and the Ford Foundation. 

Duggan named the improvements underway in the east-side neighborhood: the demolition of homes that couldn’t be saved and the renovation of those that could. He noted Roger Penske and Penske Corp.’s donation of $5 million in 2019 to build a new recreation center on the riverfront for Jefferson Chalmers.  And to address the issue of rising water that floods the neighborhood, Duggan said within the next six months a long-term plan will be in place to deal with flooding.

The plan, he says “is going to spur the redevelopment of this neighborhood even further.”

In December, JEI celebrated its rehabilitation of an old Kresge store on Jefferson. It's now a Neighborhood Resource Hub made possible through the city's Strategic Neighborhood Fund. 

Then there’s the expansion of business activity along the Jefferson Corridor with the addition of eateries, Norma G’s and Yellow Light, in recent years.

“Businesses want to be where people are moving in, not where they're moving out,” Duggan said. “And with today's announcements, you're going to have 23 more families within walking distance to this corridor moving in in the next year.”

Councilwoman Latisha Johnson speaks with Josh Bails, a development specialist for the city's Housing and Revitalization Department, inside a unit at the Marlborough Apartments.

Detroit City Councilwoman Latisha Johnson, who represents District 4, said she and her colleagues on council were excited to see the new affordable units available for residents who may be displaced by rising rents. She was joined by Councilman Coleman Young II and Councilwoman Mary Waters.  

“It is our prime focus to make sure that Detroiters can remain in Detroit,” she said.  And I'm going to say to the East Jefferson Development Corporation, this is phenomenal. To see a building that has set for 40 years. Can you imagine what it looked like? To have it come online now where inflation rates have skyrocketed. We know construction costs have skyrocketed.

"But to see that the East Jefferson Development Corporation was able to move forward with the partners, this is what it takes for us to create affordable housing units in the city of Detroit," Johnson said. "So I asked all of the partners to lean in and continue to provide the support to the city so that we can continue to do this and do this on a major scale.”

Those interested in the north or south Marlborough Apartments can visit https://www.marlboroughdetroit.com or call 313-962-1800.

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CWilliams_DN