Thursday, March 10, 2005
TALLEST BUILDING IN LANSING GETS NEW NAME: Boji GroupCO-OWNER SAYS MONIKER A TRIBUTE TO IMMIGRANT DAD
By Stephanie Murray
The suspense is over. After more than three years of debate, Lansing’s tallest building - former Michigan National Tower – has a new name: Boji Tower.
“We are very proud of the new name, but at the same time know that not everyone is going to be ecstatic about it,” said developer Ron Boji, who’s owned the 25-sotry tower with his father, Louie, since 1998. “My father put a lot of risk into buying this building… It’s a testament to him and the risks he took 35 years ago as an immigrant from Iraq (and) to the hard work we’ve put into the building.”
Ron Boji also said a new $51 million, nine-story office building under construction at 201 Townsend – informally dubbed the Boji Complex – will be called Capitol View.
The renaming of the former Michigan National Tower at 124 W. Allegan took on a life of its own after the giant red neon letters that screamed its name were taken down in November 2001. That’s when Michigan National Bank merged with Standard Federal Bank and a clause in the contract forced the Bojis to rear down the landmark letters.
Suggestions for renaming the 345-foot tall building since then have centered around Oldsmobile founder R.E. Olds, who financed the tower in 1929. Duane Allen, a vocal proponent of calling the former Michigan National building Olds Tower, said he was “disheartened” by the news. “I think it’s ridiculous that we have the biggest structure in Lansing built by the greatest citizen in Lansing, and we just ignore that,” said Allen, 72, a former president of the R.E. Olds Museum in Lansing. “I still call it the Olds Tower… always have and always will.”
Other ideas the Bojis considered included the Lansing or Capital City Tower. Ron Boji said the new name will not be displayed on top of the tower. Instead, it will be visible at the street lever, in gold block letters about the address, on plaques and on the doors. The Capitol View moniker will adorn the upper west corner of that building.
Lisa Rentz, director at Fraser Trebilcock Davis & Dunlap, PC – tower tenants since 1931 – said she thinks people will “feel comfortable” with the new name. “It’s a pretty neutral name for it,” said Rentz. “I think everybody was expecting it, and we’ve been really waiting for the name for a long time.” The 80-person law firm occupies the tower’s 9th, 10th and 11th floors.