By Georgia Thelen
Staff Writer
With history dating back to 1940, Lake Orion’s new 20 Front Street music venue has been granted the 2017 Historic Building Preservation Grant from the Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority.
20 Front Street, named for its address, has been granted an award of $22,000 for their work in preserving the history and character of the property.
The grant program was revamped in 2014 to support a larger scale of preserving the commercial properties in the downtown area.
Since the revamp of the grant, Lucky’s Natural Foods and Hanson’s Running Shop also have been recipients.
“Allan Goetz and his team at 20 Front Street have shown the dedication and type of investment that we love to see in downtown Lake Orion,” said Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Molly LaLone.
“We are very pleased to have 20 Front Street and we are so honored to have the premiere acoustic music lounge in northern Oakland County,” LaLone said.
The final cost of the renovation project at 20 Front Street will total over $200,000, between architectural plans, permits, building supplies, electrical, heating and cooling and improvements to the outside of the building, LaLone said.
The property is not only a music venue, it also has a tea lounge on the main level and there is a full-scale creamery in the works for the lower level of the building, with an opening date planned for the spring.
When the building was constructed in 1940 for Cleon Middleton, it was originally used as a creamery.
“A return to the building’s roots and an added entertainment venue is something we feel is greatly beneficial to the community,” said Allan Geotz, 20 Front Street proprietor, in his grant application.
“As you know, the easiest thing would have been to demo the entire building, but we wanted to restore this unique building,” Geotz said.
Goetz hopes to complete the project in May with a grand opening and an invitation to the Middleton family.