TRAVERSE CITY — The historic Masonic Building in downtown Traverse City was sold to two local families in a deal that closed on Tuesday.
Longtime local residents Jen and Steve Vander Roest and Roche and Leslie Featherstone become the third owners of the 132-year-old, four-story building on the corner of Front and Union streets. Built in 1890, the 26,000-square-foot structure was purchased from the children of the late Jack Miller, the second owner of the structure.
Jen Vander Roest said there is a three-phase master plan for the Masonic building, which will be called Front + Union. She said the first phase will begin at the first of the new year.
The master plan will “honor the 1890 construction of the Freemasons, the late Jack Miller’s devotion to the upkeep and rebuilding after the 1987 fire, along with his family’s great care over the last decade,” a release announcing the sale said.
“It is with a deep sense of admiration and excitement that the Vander Roest and Featherstone families embark on the journey as the third owners of the Masonic building downtown Traverse City,” a joint statement said in the release.
Dan Stiebel, associate broker at Coldwell Banker Commercial, said the building was put up for sale by a trust comprised of Miller’s children in July. Stiebel said the space was listed for $4 million and “sold for close to that.”
Miller, who died in April 2013 at the age of 90, formerly worked at the Trude Hardware store at 106 E. Front St. during high school and he eventually bought the business, according to his Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home obituary.
Miller also purchased the Masonic Building.
“He took great pride in owning and preserving a piece of Traverse City history both in the store and in the building,” his obituary said. “When the Masonic Building was severely damaged by fire in 1987, he committed himself to reconstructing it as close to original as possible.”
The Vander Roest and Featherstone families intend to “reinvent this historic structure in the most sustainable way by nurturing a sense of place, community, and purpose for today and the next generation,” the Tuesday release said.
“We look forward to sharing the details and availability within the building shortly,” the two families said in the release.