Grand Rapids architect going ‘back to my roots’ with purchase of Leonard Street building

Grand Rapids architect going ‘back to my roots’ with purchase of Leonard Street building
Pure Architects founder Zachary Verhulst plans buy and relocate his firm to the three-story building at 422 Leonard St. NW on Grand Rapids’ west side. Credit: Kate Carlson/MiBiz

GRAND RAPIDS — A Grand Rapids architect plans to relocate his firm to a corridor near his childhood home on the city’s northwest side that he sees as the next bustling district in the city.

Zachary Verhulst, who founded Pure Architects in August 2020, is under contract to purchase the three-story building at 422 Leonard St. NW for about $1.1 million, MiBiz reported. Verhulst expects to close on the property, which is home to the longtime family-owned window covering retailer The Shade Shop Inc., in the next two weeks. He also plans to invest nearly $1 million in renovations to capture the feel of a “Los Angeles- or New York-style of a design shop,” he said.

“I grew up on the northwest side, right off the Leonard Street corridor, so for me this is a move back to my roots,” Verhulst said. “For us, it’s also a strategic move. I think Leonard Street is the next Bridge Street.”

Read the full story at MiBiz.