A Change to the Grand Rapids Skyline

For well over a year, whenever you looked at the Grand Rapids skyline you'd see a crane sitting atop the Amway Grand Plaza hotel.

Now, after a project that seemed like it was going to last forever -- the skyline is changing as the crane is being dismantled.

It was all part of a $40 million renovation of the glass on the exterior of the hotel. The project was scheduled to start in January 2019, but due to construction delays and the COVID-19 pandemic, progress on the project was slowed considerably.

The renovation features new tinted glass for the building. It has changed the color of the Amway slightly. From the inside, the glass is more transparent for guests, giving them a better floor-to-celling view of the city of Grand Rapids.

That project is finally wrapping up and the crane on top of the Amway Grand is finally being dismantled. On Tuesday, October 5th, Pearl Street was closed as a temporary crane was moved in to dismantle the more permanent structure that spent well over a year on top of the Amway Grand.

Also part of the renovation was a sign that now reads "Amway Grand" at the top of the towering building, along with added accent lighting up near the near the new MDRD restaurant at the top of the structure. The top three floors of the tower also have different glass panel sizes from the rest of the structure.

The newly installed glass also has energy benefits. It is expected to bring an energy savings of 10 to 15 percent for the building.

Rockford Construction of Grand Rapids was hired as the construction manager for the project. Gensler of Minneapolis was hired as the architectural firm.