Lloyd House

Project History

The history of Menominee can’t be told without telling the history of industrialist Marshall Burns Lloyd. His success benefitted the city with jobs, development and public works projects. When the town’s only department store was destroyed by a fire in 1924, the citizens called on Lloyd for help. He built a grand new store on the marina in 1926 which rivaled any in the big cities. The “wonder store” later became a Montgomery Wards and then a factory before falling into disrepair and remaining dormant for nearly 15 years. Due to its prominent location, the city was desperate to rehabilitate the structure and hoped for a solution that would not involve its destruction. The WODA Group purchased the property, and with approval of the National Park Service and Michigan State Historical Preservation Office, began an adaptive reuse development project that would transform the structure into an apartment complex with 1,600 sq ft of commercial space on the ground floor. WODA’s plan focused on using modern materials while preserving historic integrity. The four-story concrete façade was crumbling. Chunks had been falling off for years. Erickson Plastering removed damaged areas, and then proceeded to coat exposed rebar with ECB corrosion inhibitor to prevent future spalling. Conpro Set repair mortar was then used to reconstruct the façade. Plastermix, a Portland cement finish coating, was then used to obscure the repair areas and provide the building with a uniform and beautiful finish. In 2015, the WODA Group received the Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation for the project.