The Morton

Built in late 1922, The Morton, a 13-story brick clad building, was Grand Rapids’ last pre-depression hotel. Over the decades, it evolved from its elite beginnings to Section 8 Apartments with dreary commercial storefronts. This top-to-bottom transformation consists of residential and commercial space and the addition of a 14th floor of glass and metal enclosed “follies” which vertically extend the condominiums to create two-story penthouses. The building’s exterior was maintained with the exception of an expansive gesture of a two-story rectangular glass box housing a penthouse condominium’s interior stair-case. Likewise window openings were retained except for increasing the height on the 13th floor by two feet.