Prince Concepts

True North: a new 10-unit live/work community designed to serve as a catalyst for Core City. Located just South/West of the Grand River and Warren intersection in the 48208 zip code of Detroit. 

A project of firsts:

• First development in Core City since the 1960s (other than The Study).

• Prince Concepts' first ground-up development.

• First residential development employing the Quonset Hut.

• First step towards activating one of Detroit’s quiet, spacious, and uniquely beautiful neighborhoods. 

True North uses the classic Quonset Hut as the base form and structure, but incorporates architecture to elevate the standard issue.

The project planted 60 trees, was designed by Edwin Chan of EC3 and was completed in May of 2017.

True North was the winner of some of the most significant Architecture prizes during the 2017/2018 awards cycle:

• 2017 Progressive Architecture Award: Architect Magazine (Feb. 2017 Cover)

• Multi-Family Development of the Year: Architect's Newspaper, 2017, Best of Design Awards

• Finalist, Mies Crown Hall America's Prize, 2018

David, winning awards, in a field of architecture Goliaths.

More importantly, True North has served as a catalyst for Core City.

It has been a source of pride and energy for the long time residents and has also brought Core City attention from around the globe.

To qualify as excellent, work must both gain recognition at the highest levels, while also engaging (and not alienating) the local community. True North aspired to this achievement and accomplished it.

When we broke ground on True North, there were just four occupied homes within the ten block radius surrounding the project. The neighborhood was mostly vacant - a few occupied homes, abandoned houses, a lot of vacant land.

The project was built on overgrown and wild lots; more interestingly, the intersection of Grand River and Warren had not received investment since the late 1960s. In fact, the neighborhood was so overlooked, it wasn't even included in the federal government's "opportunity zone" program, like the rest of Detroit.

We were on our own out here, with a few dedicated Detroiters, perfect. Space and time to be considerate.

In Core City, in 2015, it wasn't community engagement, it was a handful of personal conversations. It wasn't meetings with banks and investors (they wouldn't have considered the project), it was lunch with our few neighbors. It wasn't fighting for a variance, it was the city, doing what it could, to help. We didn't blow our budget on acquisition, we could invest those dollar into the quality of the project

The old time Detroiters were enthusiastic about someone finally seeing what they once - and always - saw, Grand River and Warren was "the best intersection in Detroit." We agreed.

I gave the few neighbors my number, communicated my belief that they'd owned stock for a long time and that I now worked for them.

When we presented our plans to the city planning department - more specifically to Maurice Cox and Steven Lewis (both integral players in the development of Core City) they asked,

"You want to develop that? There?",

"Yes...."

"Go for it!"

And that we did.

The vacancy of Core City - although most would have seen it as an impediment - informed the entire project.

When we began our work in Core City, it wasn't an "investment." There wasn't a market, demand or comps. There was space. There were not assets to "buy," there were ideas that needed to be "built," that most investors saw as "liabilities."

There weren't articles pushing people to move there, there were dogmas advising people against it.

Core City was't going to work for us - like most markets - the onus, the work, was on us. We had to make people want to be there.

We had to be developers, not just investors.

True North began when I saw a photograph of an American Army base outside of Berlin at the end of World War II. The base was built using Quonset Huts.

I liked the spaces these semicircular structures create. I knew they didn't need columns for support and I knew there was efficiency in the walls being the roof. But, I needed to make the project pretty, too. Not just utilitarian. Inspired but also accessible, price wise.

John Patrick, of Above the Fold, suggested I work with EC3, directed by Edwin Chan. Chan, formerly the design director for Gehry Partners, who led the museum projects. I never asked to see Edwin's portfolio, or pictures of what he had worked on, intellectually, we just clicked. It was a great match.

Edwin immediately understood what I wanted to do with the huts and why. He then added to the project by focusing on the spaces between the huts, as much as on the spaces within the huts.

We began to work (and play) in Edwin's studio and after just a few days we had a site plan.

What I understood was that affordable, yet, high-quality space is an endangered species. In a world that prioritizes density and returns, special, price-accessible rental space doesn't exist.

I believed the Quonset Hut could offer the average renter a space they could be proud of, and not only live in, but use as an asset in their creative work. My loft in SoHo inspired this idea.

What Edwin understood was that if we didn't distinguish the spaces or huts from one another and were too rigorous with the site plan, our project would look like a military base.

We decided on a variety of units, all of which offered exceptional quality space, abundant natural light and were designed for either a "chef's lifestyle" (open kitchen) or a "creative's" (hidden kitchen).

Edwin then worked on the spaces in between the units to ensure the project offered public spaces where people could congregate.

The results have been phenomenal. True North took just nine months to build. At completion, in May of 2017, there was a waiting list of over 400 people for the 10 units.

Since then, the project has seen 98% occupancy and inspired many creative people and moments.

Diverse, high-quality, price accessible spaces have led to a variety of unique occupations. Tenants have devised their own storage systems and taken pride in displaying clothes, objects and art.

Tenants often host clients and friends for events and dinners.

All units enjoy immense natural light and connection to the outdoors. Both end-walls are mostly translucent insulated polycarbonate with large sliding doors.

People have lived, worked and live/work'd at True North.

Couples, babies, single people. Social workers, designers, artists, and entrepreneurs all ranging in age from 23 to 72.

As of September 2024, three of our original tenants have even built their own homes in the neighborhood.

With the Quonset Hut, we used: steel tube, angle-iron and insulated Polycarbonate to construct the end walls - all welded and assembled on-site. For the units on the street, we implemented sections of cinderblock wall for a bit more privacy.

Inside, we used Drywall, Fir Plywood, Polycarbonate, and Cement.

All units feature radiant heated floors and are insulated with Spray Foam.

During construction, I lived on site in The Study, assembled a crew of 15 and worked to get it done (with no prior experience, another first). Art more than science, with a good mix of the two.

Many of the design decisions were made on site based on the skills of our crew.

True North proved to be a greater success than we imagined. The spark that started the energetic fire that now burns in Core City.