REO Town is a district in Lansing, Michigan, United States, located south of downtown. The neighborhood is bordered by West Malcolm X Street to the north; South Cedar Street BL I-96 to the east; West Mount Hope Avenue to the south; and Townsend Street, the Grand River, and South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the west. Considered the birthplace of the commercial

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

in the US,REO Town Official Webpage
''retrieved 2014-Jun-18'' REO Town is named after

Ransom Eli Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the American automotive industry, after whom the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named. He claimed to have built his first steam car as early as 1887 and his first gasoline-power ...

, an automobile pioneer, for whom both the

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it pro ...

and REO brands were named. Lansing, Michigan, wikipedia.com, ''retrieved 2010-Aug-03'' In addition to a commercial corridor along South Washington Avenue, REO Town includes three neighborhoods: Fabulous Acres, Moores Park, and River Point.Adams, Tara
REO Town - REO Town Living and Visiting Guide
, ''Lansing Area Capital Gains'', capitalgainsmedia.com, August 12, 2009, Retrieved August 5, 2010

History

The

REO Motor Car Company The REO Motor Car Company was a company based in Lansing, Michigan, which produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. At one point, the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms. Ransom E. Olds was an entrepreneur who founde ...

began producing automobiles along South Washington Avenue in REO Town in 1905, ending production in 1975.Rook, Christine and Melissa Domsic
New REO Town development could revitalize Lansing downtown district
''Lansing State Journal'', lsj.com, August 1, 2010, Retrieved August 5, 2010 The REO Town Commercial Association was formed in 2003 to encourage businesses and residential growth in the area. In July 2010 the Lansing Board of Water & Light announced plans to construct a $182 million

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

-powered electric and steam generation plant along Washington Avenue in REO Town. The eight-story facility moved 180 jobs upon its opening in January 2013.Domsic, Melissa
BWL plans $182M power plant in Lansing's REO Town
''Lansing State Journal'', lsj.com, July 16, 2010, Retrieved August 3, 2010 Plans also call for the renovation and reuse of the former Grand Trunk railroad station.BWL becomes REO Town's best friend
''Lansing State Journal'', lsj.com, July 30, 2010, Retrieved August 5, 2010 Construction of the new power station began in May 2011.Domsic, Melissa
'Classy' power plant in REO Town is under way
''Lansing State Journal'', lsj.com, May 26, 2011, Retrieved May 28, 2011 The

cogeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...

power plant became operational on July 1, 2013.Howell, Brandon
Lansing Board of Water & Light's new $182 million REO Town cogeneration plant goes online
MLive.com, July 1, 2013, Retrieved July 7, 2013 In August 2010 the former ''Deluxe Inn'' was transformed into an outdoor urban graffiti art exhibit. The planned event attracted approximately 25 artists. The defunct motel, at the north end of REO Town, was demolished in September 2010 and is currently a large grassy lot.Rook, Christine
REO Town - Graffiti Art Project At Deluxe Inn Brings Attention to REO Town Revitalization
''Lansing State Journal'', capitalgainsmedia.com, July 31, 2010, Retrieved August 4, 2010Rook, Christine
Deluxe Inn falls as demolition starts
''Lansing State Journal'', lsj.com, September 13, 2010, Retrieved September 13, 2010 In August 2011 Lansing received a $326,100 federal transportation grant to help pay for a $2.1 million streetscape project along Washington Avenue in REO Town.Domsic, Melissa
Grant given to upgrade streetscape in Lansing
''Lansing State Journal'', lsj.com, August 18, 2011, Retrieved August 18, 2011Press Release. USDOT

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...

.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces $9.1 Million in Grants for Michigan Highway Projects
fhwa.dot.gov, August 17, 2011, Retrieved August 18, 2011

Economy

REO Town has several large and small employers, including Board of Water and Light, the Record Lounge, Saddleback BBQ, REO Town Pub, Blue Owl Coffee, Michigan Creative, Soulful Earth Herbals, Woke Mind Body Studio, New Horizons, Studio Intrigue Architects, Good Truckin' Diner, Quality Dairy, Riverview Church, O'Leary Paint Company, Lansing Sanitary Supply Company and LEAP. REO Town's largest employer is still the automotive industry with the Lansing Grand River Assembly plant employing approximately 2,500 hourly and salary employees. REO Town is host to many vintage/second hand stores including REO Town Marketplace, Vintage Junkies, Community Finery, Thriftique, Blue Onyx Thirft, Jean Jean Vintage, Jo's Unique Boutique and St. Vincent De Paul. REO Town's hair and nail services include Cuttin Up Barber Shop and the Artisan Company.

Arts and culture

REO Town has several arts and culture events throughout the year. Art Attack, an event organized by the REO Town Commercial Association, celebrates art, live music and food. Arts Night Out is a celebration of art and culture that is put on by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing. The Robin Theatre provides a space for poetry, live music and theater performances. REO Town also features recording studios Elm Street Recording and REO Town Recording. Art & Craft Beerfest is a celebration of art, beer and music. It is held during the mid-winter break between other area beerfests. The festival features 20 beers from Traverse City's Right Brain Brewing Company, 10 ciders from Blake’s Hard Cider and a variety of Michigan wines. Lansing Beer Fest is now hosted on the third Saturday of June, and has been held since 2012. On June 23, 2018, REO Town hosted the Three Stacks Music Festival, featuring Against Me!,

Murder by Death ''Murder by Death'' is a 1976 American comedy mystery film directed by Robert Moore and written by Neil Simon. The film stars Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, M ...

, Pup,

mewithoutyou MewithoutYou, usually styled as mewithoutYou, was an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consisted of Aaron Weiss (vocals), Michael Weiss and Brandon Beaver (guitars), Greg Jehanian (bass guitar), and Rickie Mazzotta ...

, Screaming Females, Camp Cove, Petal, Oceanator, City Mouse, Worn Spirit, Stefanie Haapala, Ness Lake, and Secret Forte. Founded in 2004, REACH Studio Art Center offers free and low-cost art classes for local Lansing youth and teens. Wheel House Studios opened in September 2018, offering classes and private lessons on wheel throwing geared towards adults.

References

External links

* http://www.reotown.com/
REO Town
at city-data.com {{Lansing-East Lansing, state=collapsed Geography of Lansing, Michigan Tourist attractions in Lansing, Michigan Historic districts in Michigan