Dearborn’s City Hall, currently located on the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Schaefer, is moving into the ADP (Automatic Data Processing) building at 16901 Michigan Avenue along the same block as the Civic Center, Dearborn Police Station, and the Henry Ford Library.
The current City Hall costs $23.50 per square foot to operate yearly to ensure its upkeep that includes utilities, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and improvements to the building. According to Ford Land and other commercial real estate professionals, an average office building costs $7.50 per square foot, which is about three times less the cost of Dearborn’s current City Hall building. The ADP building in which City Hall is moving to is 85,700 square feet and would be prove to be an economical substitute to maintain it’s current building or even constructing a completely new one
Not only does property cost come into play in this situation, but maintenance and repairs are important factors as well. Over several years, City Hall has acquired a list of upkeeps that needed to be attended to. Although the building is still operative to this day, an approximate $5.7 million in repairs have been assigned to appliances and the building’s systems including mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Moreover, keeping the current building running for 20 more years will require much investment in order to maintain the already 90-year-old parking lot and rooftop decks.
A national nonprofit organization called Artspace is moving into Dearborn’s current City Hall building. Artspace sponsors and operates low-income housing for artists and hosts galleries and shows for the city and runs 31 projects around the country from Los Angeles, California to New York, New York. The space would be used for the professional expansion of artists and painters to produce and display their work. City Hall’s lower-level council chamber will become performance space for live entertainment and the treasurers’ and clerks’ offices will turn into gallery and studio space for rent.
Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly says he is asking the Dearborn Schools Board of Education Administration share the ADP building rather than continue to invest in its current location at the Ten Eyck Building.