The BlueJay Hotel
Prior Circumstances
Brad Veneklase purchased an 87-year-old, 3,600-sf building that had fallen into disrepair and was functionally obsolete. Brad saw it as an opportunity to create The BlueJay Hotel, a boutique hotel and event space in the bustling Bridge Street corridor of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Solution
Breathe new life into the existing two-story building and convert it into an eclectic hotel/event space that features:
- 5 guest rooms, a shared meeting room with lounge and bar area, and private outdoor area with fire pit and lawn games.
- A new glass curtain wall and painted sign graphics that refreshes the original façade.
- Exposed brick interior walls that showcase the building’s heritage and complement the new white walls, black trim and wood floors.
- Handicapped accessibility and new heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems.
- A spacious, open main floor created by replacing portions of bearing walls with beams.
