[DetroitMan]

Ford buys former Assemble Sound Corktown church property in shadow of train station

Ford Motor Co. has added a historic church most recently owned by Assemble Sound to its real estate portfolio in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood.

In the coming weeks, in a preservation effort for what was originally St. Paul's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ford plans to remove and restore its steeple, said Catherine Kelly, head of communications and editorial for Ford's Michigan Central project in the enclave west of downtown.

"Though we are not actively looking to acquire additional properties around Michigan Central, we felt this historic church was an important exception," Kelly said in an emailed statement. "Like the previous owners at Assemble Sound, we were deeply concerned about the long-term status of this 19th Century church and believe it to be an important piece of our neighborhood's history."

Kelly said Ford's priority is to work with Detroit and the Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department to address the steeple. "Like our neighbors, we want to see it preserved, and we are going to do everything we can to do so," she said.

The ultimate plans for the property have not yet been determined, Kelly said. CoStar Group Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate information service, says Ford paid $1.5 million for the Assemble Sound portfolio that consists of the church dating back a century and a half plus two other properties at 17th Street and Rose Street in the shadow of Michigan Central Station and Ford's AV/EV campus, which includes Michigan Central Station and a former Detroit Public Schools book depository that reopened earlier this year following a years-long renovation.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...hurch-property