Business & Economy
New uses sought for old newspaper buildings
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By IAN K. KULLGREN
Capital News Service
LANSING — As some Michigan newspapers downsize to smaller offices, they are leaving behind massive buildings that are outdated, but still critical to the communities they cover. Some of these cavernous quarters, once anchors of downtown business districts, are being renovated, divided up and in some cases torn down to make way for prospective buyers in the education and health fields. Others, meanwhile, face an uncertain future. Officials in Grand Rapids have announced plans to demolish the 173,840-square-foot Grand Rapids Press building to make way for a new, six-story biomedical research center operated by Michigan State University. The old building, opened in 1966, is in the heart of the city’s downtown.