The former Kirkish Furniture and Appliance Store building is seen in the photo taken Friday. Governor Whitmer announced that a grant from the Revitalization and Placemaking program be used to help revitalize the historic building. The structure will eventually house a restaurant and several apartments. (Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette)

LANSING — Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced two redevelopment projects supported by the bipartisan Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program in Gaylord and Houghton. L and Z Rental Inc. will revitalize the old Kirkish Furniture building at the end of Shelden Avenue into nine apartments and two commercial spaces with a $1.5 million RAP grant.

The two projects will create capital investment of over $7.35 million.

“Support for these projects in Gaylord and Houghton will turn vacant buildings into vibrant commercial space and housing, growing our economy and helping more families ‘make it’ here in northern Michigan,” said Governor Whitmer. “Across Michigan, the RAP program helps us grow our economy, support people, invest in places and win projects. Let’s keep working together to recruit top tier talent, drive down the cost of housing and make every region of our state more vibrant.”

The historic building in Houghton was built in 1910, but has been vacant since 2013. The roof partially collapsed in 2016 which halted a previous attempt to rehabilitate the property. Land Z Rental is working with Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance and Traverse Engineering for pre-development consulting and construction management.

Ruixuan Zhang of L and Z Rental Inc. said that revitalizing the building has been a long-held vision and that he and his partner Wuze Li, who also co-own Sky Sushi. Zhang said that the project will also expand the restaurant and add more vibrance to the downtown area.

“We are deeply grateful for the unwavering support from all our partners,” Zhang said. “The collective efforts of UP State Bank, KEDA, the Houghton County Brownfield Authority, Invest UP, MEDC and the city have been instrumental in making this project a reality. We sincerely appreciate the dedication and collaboration that have made this transformative development possible.”

Houghton City Manager Eric Waara also expressed excitement for the project and complimented how so many partners are collaborating on something to assist the community.

“The project will bring one of our iconic downtown buildings, which has been through a lot in the last decade, back to life,” he said. “The addition of the residential units will further increase our downtown’s vitality with more people living there and the new commercial space will see one of our restaurants able to expand into new space.”