Eye candy of the Week

Despite its location between two major thoroughfares, this property is difficult to locate, as it sits well back from Oakland Avenue and above East Saginaw. Visitors taking a detour along Prudden Street will be rewarded with an attractive site, which is enjoying ongoing improvement.

Building construction was completed for the Prudden Wheel Co. in 1918.

It is speculated that the building was designed by world renowned, Detroitbased architect Albert Kahn. The structure is clearly influenced by Kahn’s factory innovations and his efforts to introduce daylight deep into buildings’ interiors. The reinforced concrete frame, which is clearly expressed on the structure’s exterior, accommodates beam wide spans and allows for larger fenestration sizes. In 1920, Prudden expanded and changed to the Motor Wheel Corp., from which the lofts take their name.

The “Flower Power” project currently underway is a joint effort of Motor Wheel Lofts, Spartan Lawn Care and H-Inc. This multiyear effort began at the northeast corner of the site and was extended west along Oakland last year. The project, which includes thousands of daylilies, continues this year on the sloped embankment at Saginaw. We look forward to seeing the plants mature and bloom over the course of this and successive seasons.

“Eye candy of the Week” is our weekly look at some of the nicer properties in Lansing. It rotates each with Eyesore of the Week. If you have a suggestion, please e-mail eye@lansingcitypulse.com or call Berl Schwartz at 999-5061.