FLINT - The final piece of the puzzle in the redevelopment of the historic Durant Hotel has fallen into place.

On Oct. 27, city officials announced the sale of the hotel to an East Lansing developer, which intends to spend $30 million converting the building into about 100 apartments. The eight-story Durant Hotel, at Second and Martin Luther King avenues, was constructed in 1920 but has been closed since 1973.

While there was a significant presence of nonunion workers during the hazardous materials remediation of the hotel last summer, Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 370 Business Manager Mark Johnson said last week, "so far, everything looks good for the future" for the redevelopment to utilize predominately union labor.

The developer - 607 E, Second Avenue LLC - is a new, limited liability company created by Karp & Associates and Prater Developments of Lansing. The Durant was purchased in 2005 by the Genesee County Land Bank. A preliminary engineering report prepared last year determined the building is still structurally sound.

When it opened at the dawn of the "Roaring Twenties," the Durant was considered the most elegant hotel in Flint. The 250-room facility was designed in the Renaissance revival style for William C. Durant, founder of the Durant Motor Co., a forerunner of General Motors Corp.

The hotel has been central to the most prominent events in the history of Flint, housing all out-of-town press during the 1936-37 sit-down strike. In 1942 it became a member of the Albert Pick chain of hotels but, after many years of financial setbacks, closed in 1973.

"I can remember attending many functions at the Durant," said Congressman Dale Kildee, who secured some federal funds toward the redevelopment of the hotel. "The Durant Hotel is a reminder to us all of the rich history of Flint and of the people who helped write that history. I am eager to see her restored to her former esteem and the economic opportunity it will bring to our community."

Developers will market the renovated hotel to professionals who work in downtown Flint, as well as older students at the nearby Flint campus of the University of Michigan. They hope to complete the project before the start of the fall 2009 semester.

Included in the redevelopment will be 14,000 square-feet of commercial space. 

With the green light for redevelopment of the Durant, spending will approach nearly $500 million in new, planned or ongoing construction projects to transform pockets of downtown Flint, in what is hoped will be a renaissance for the hard-hit city.

(Michigan Construction News.com contributed to this report).

THE EIGHT-STORY Durant Hotel was built in 1920.