Greenleaf Trust Relocates to Newly Restored Former City Hall Building in Traverse City

Greenleaf Trust, an independent Michigan-chartered, trust-only bank and wealth management firm, announced the relocation of its Northern Michigan team to the historic Old City Hall in downtown Traverse City.

Greenleaf Trust partnered with real estate developer and sister-company Catalyst Development Co., LLC on the restoration of the historic building. The wealth management firm’s new 5,100-square-foot office space on the top floor of the 160 East State Street building will house nine Greenleaf Trust team members.

“Our firm has experienced incredible growth in Northern Michigan, and we’re thrilled to be expanding into a larger space that not only allows us to better serve our clients in the region but reinforces our commitment to this community,” said Greenleaf Trust Senior Vice President and Northern Michigan Market Director John Welch. “We are proud to be investing in Traverse City’s historic district and support the reclamation of the beautiful Old City Hall to its former glory.”

“Choosing to rehabilitate an existing building rather than building a new one represents Greenleaf Trust’s and Catalyst’s shared values of sustainability and community involvement,” said Catalyst Development Vice President and Managing Partner Patti Owens. “Old City Hall is a significant piece of Traverse City’s history, and we are humbled to be a part of the team restoring this iconic structure.”

Designed by John Knox Taylor, an architect of the United States Department of Treasury, the Old City Hall building has been a cherished piece of the Traverse City community since 1904. According to the Traverse Area Historical Society, it served as the city’s post office until 1939 before it housed City Hall.

Through modern architectural products and construction methods, the 117-year-old building has been made energy efficient, with sustainable design and features including:

• Bipolar ionization systems integrated within the air handling system to eliminate nearly all airborne impurities, including the virus that causes COVID-19
• LED light fixtures with sophisticated programming to minimize energy use
• Skylights to allow for natural light and interior transoms to disperse as much light as possible, marking the first time the building’s skylights have been uncovered in nearly 60 years
• A radiant snow melt system in the public right-of-way and parking area for to minimize salt entering the groundwater

Interior restoration of the building was completed earlier this year, and the exterior and streetscape are expected to be completed in summer 2021. Catalyst Development, which owns the building, engaged architecture and engineering firm TowerPinkster to design the project and CSM Group Inc. to manage construction.

For additional information on the Greenleaf Trust, please visit www.greenleaftrust.com.

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About Greenleaf Trust

With offices in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Birmingham, Midland, Traverse City and Bay Harbor, Greenleaf Trust is an independent Michigan-chartered trust-only bank, exclusively focused on wealth management, trust and estate administration, and administration of company-sponsored retirement plans. Through our unique, client centric team approach, we provide highly personal and customized client service, with no conflicts of interest, to ensure our clients’ financial security from generation to generation. Please visit Greenleaf Trust online at www.greenleaftrust.com.