The J.W. Knapp Company Building is a historic five-story,

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...

building in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...

, United States. Designed by Orlie Munson of the

Bowd–Munson Company Bowd–Munson Company was an architectural firm in Lansing, Michigan. The firm was a partnership between Edwyn A. Bowd and Orlie Munson. Bowd was born at Cheltenham, England, on November 11, 1865. He designed the Lewis Cass Building. He also design ...

, which also designed several other

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

landmarks in Lansing, including the

Ottawa Street Power Station Ottawa Street Power Station is a former municipal electric and steam utility generating station for the Lansing Board of Water and Light in Lansing, Michigan, located on the Grand River in the city's central business district that was redevelop ...

, it was constructed by the Christman Company in 1937 through 1938. The curvilinear look of the streamlined structure comes from huge plates of

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

faced with enamel, called "Maul Macotta", a copyrighted product of the Maul Macotta Company and prismatic glass brick windows. Alternating horizontal bands of yellow macotta and glass block are interrupted by vertical blue macotta pylons, rising from the building's four principal entrances. The pylons are pierced by windows. The entrance portals, display window aprons, and decorative banding are dark blue macotta. Red, yellow and blue spandrels, incorporating the letter "K" as a design element, decorate the entrance portals. The building housed the main

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

of the Lansing-based J.W. Knapp Company. When completed in 1939, it was hailed in the contemporary press as "the most modern building in the Midwest".''Lansing City Pulse''
uly 3, 2002. Today, it is considered to be one of the finest intact examples of Streamline Art Moderne commercial buildings in the Midwest, notable for its size, clarity of design and brilliant colors. The western end of the building was enlarged in 1949. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on May 21, 1983. The Eyde Company, a local developer, purchased the building in 1983, and converted most of its selling floors to state government offices, renaming it the "Knapp's Center". The state offices moved out in 2003. During the holiday season, the storefront windows are used by the

MSU Museum The Michigan State University Museum most commonly referred to as the ''MSU Museum'' is Michigan State University's oldest museum formed in 1857. It is the state of Michigan's first Smithsonian Affiliate. It was formed to support the work of the ...

to display historic

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

advertising cutouts in connection with the city's Silver Bells Parade. Various proposals for redevelopment of the building were considered, including a failed bid in 2004 to house the

Michigan Department of Community Health The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is a principal department of state of Michigan, headquartered in Lansing, that provides public assistance, child and family welfare services, and oversees health policy and management. ...

, and a 2008 proposal to convert the building to a performing arts center. During the 2008–2009 academic year, the

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

interior design program used the redevelopment of the building as the basis for its senior thesis. Resulting proposals included a variety of commercial and residential uses. In 2010, plans were announced to redevelop the building for mixed residential, office and commercial use, subject to obtaining necessary governmental permits and obtaining tax credits, loans and grants, with construction initially planned to commence in 2011 and to be completed in 2013.Weiland, Barbara and Melissa Domsic (April 7, 2010)
"Retro revival: Developer hopes to transform iconic Knapp’s building downtown"
''Lansing State Journal'' The bands of glass block which give the building an external appearance of lightness, present a barrier to redevelopment due to the lack of outside views for prospective tenants. The redevelopment proposals include cutting a four-story glass atrium covered with a skylight from the second through fifth floors to give the interior more light, as well as replacement of the Maul Macotta panels, which have suffered water damage due to a design flaw in the metal banding not apparent in 1937 when they were installed, with modern metal or concrete counterparts. Construction eventually began in December 2012, with a 14-month construction schedule and a $36.5 million budget.Inglot, Sam (December 4, 2012)

''Lansing City Pulse'' The construction is now completed, and the building is home to numerous offices, shops, and apartments.

References

External links

"Historic Photos of J.W. Knapps Building"
''Lansing State Journal'' {{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Lansing, Michigan Commercial buildings completed in 1937 Buildings and structures in Lansing, Michigan Streamline Moderne architecture in Michigan