MUSKEGON, Mich. — The sounds of construction echo down Webster Avenue near downtown Muskegon.
At 349 W. Webster Avenue sits on Hackley Square, or what's known as the Hackley Administration Building. It's an iconic building in Muskegon that the Wheelfish Group is breathing new life into.
It was built in 1890.
In fall 2025, it will reopen as a boutique hotel with 45 rooms. Most rooms will house six to eight people.
“Everything that you see here that’s original will stay,” Vice President of Operations for Wheelfish Group Frank Peterson said.
Exposed brick will be featured throughout the building. They're also adding a speakeasy and spa on sight.
“The decor, the flooring, the furniture, everything will step you back into pre-1920s Muskegon,” Peterson said.
Peterson says the project would never have started without a state grant.
“We received a $2 million grant from the state of Michigan, specifically to save the failing south wall of the building,” Peterson said.
The south wall of the building was essentially coming off of the building. It was leaning at a 10-degree angle off the back end of the building.
Now, two steel beams hold the wall in place.
The project is welcome news to Muskegon County residents FOX 17 caught up with at the farmers market on Thursday.
“I think it would be great to have another one by the waterfront,” Mary Phillips said. “To refurbish something like that, I think it would be hard, but I think it would be worth it, to have all that old structure, very beautiful.”
The project in total will cost $11 million.
“It's really the community mission of Wheelfish Group, which is the family office of Brad and Kathleen Playford. They’ve made it their mission to make strategic investments in Muskegon, some economic based, some community based,” Peterson said.
Residents think it'll be good for the community.
“I think it’ll be great for Muskegon; we’ve got a lot to offer here. A hotel would help Muskegon grow,” Suzzane Coon said.
People at the farmers market add it'll be good year-round.
“It would add a lot, because we have a lot of winter sports also. A lot of people don’t know that we do,” Dorothy Scott said.
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