Gregory Holm thinks the two buildings he bought on Gratiot three months ago are on the best block in the city. And don't try arguing him down to just best block in Eastern Market. In any case, the block is about to get a whole lot better when Holm opens a pastry shop in one storefront, and a restaurant in the other. You may know Holm as the photographer behind the Ice House, but he's also the owner of the 2:1 Gallery at 1480 Gratiot. He fell in love with the block and could not help himself from buying this unlisted real estate when he found an unexpected connection to the previous owner. He's still toying with the concept and talking to chefs as far as New York and Austin, but what he's quite serious about is the brand new building facade. The art deco masterpiece is the work of several artisans working with materials like Pewabic Tile. According to Holm, the original facade was cut when they widened the street in the 1930s and a cheap one was put on; for his project he totally rebuilt a brand new one. The building has a history as a pastry shop in the 1920s and became a knife shop later on, but has been vacant for about 10 years. The two connected storefront spaces are about 970 square feet each and the restaurant side is sporting a rather incredible art deco tile pattern which inspired most of the artisan-style renovation work in the rest of the building. The second floor was once an apartment but he has plans for a four-bedroom inn or bed and breakfast for artists who want to come work in the area.
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