That casino addition got me thinking for a minute, what is the tallest (occupiable) building structure in the UP? I know that for the upper portion of the lower peninsula (and all of the UP), it is the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa tower (19 stories / 220 ft). But what about only north of the bridge?
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Traverse City (Acme) -
(always reminds me of a baby
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel)
Source:
Pure Michigan
The answer? - Harbor Tower Apartments, in Escanaba, at a stunning 18 stories / 185 ft. I didn't realize that the UP's tallest was in Escanaba. I would have guessed Marquette, which doesn't even have the second tallest. That honor apparently goes to the 11-story / 134-ft. R.L. Smith Mechanical Engineering - Engineering Mechanics Building (aka The MEEM) at Michigan Tech. in Houghton.*
*EDIT: Thanks to joemitts for pointing out that NMU's Superior Dome stands at 143 ft. (confirmed via Wikipedia). So, although it is not a multi-floor high rise, it is technically an occupiable structure. Marquette - you're back on the map!
Source:
MI Blues Perspective
Harbor Tower Apartments, Escanaba
Source:
Pinterest | Bud Lemire
The MEEM, Houghton
Source:
www.mtu.edu
I'm also adding the fairly-recent "Residence at Harbor Vista" (Phases 1 & 2) project to the Marquette rundown. Phase 1 was completed in Summer of 2018 and Phase 2 opened this past Summer. The combined two buildings have 73 higher-end apartment units that overlook Marquette’s lower harbor (
1880 US Highway 41 South Marquette, MI 49855). They were built on the site of an old roadside motel / resort. Veridea Group was the developer - one of the biggest UP-based developers (Marquette). More on their projects later.
Source:
Veridea Group