NY Times Meets Detroit's Best Office Renovation Ever: Former Model T Showroom Now Called The Green Garage

If you have not been to the Green Garage building, a small business shared-office space in Midtown, you might not be a real fan of Detroit architecture. Seriously. The former Model T showroom has been impeccably renovated for the sort of "wow factor" familiar on Dwell Magazine page spreads but rarely seen in this city. And nowThe New York Times has visited. They spoke to the owners, Tom and Peggy Brennan, about the renovation process as well their goals as a small business incubator.

More than 200 community volunteers came together to help design and renovate the Green Garage. In accordance with its eco-friendly mission, they used mostly reclaimed materials, generated just one-and-a-half Dumpsters’ worth of waste, and used passive means – a white roof, triple-glazed windows and extra-thick insulation – to cut the building’s energy demand by 90 percent. The Green Garage is only so big, and in high demand, so if you're upset that you can't get an office, you may be pleased to know an opportunity to live in another Brennan production is on the way. They are the buyers of the El Moore apartment building just a few blocks from the Green Garage. Seeing what they accomplished with this first Detroit renovation project, we're betting the apartments are a surefire success. But of course, because they do things right and don't rush, you'll have to wait a few years for that big reveal. · El Makeover For Midtown's El Moore Apartment Building [Curbed Detroit]
· In Detroit, the Green Garage Is a Different Kind of Incubator[NY Times]