Back than, it was operated by the Roman Catholic Church and housed as many as 200 young people, principally from the Marquette and surrounding area.

It operated as an orphanage until 1967, when it shuttered operations and was abandoned, gaining a measure of notoriety as an alleged haunted building.

Not a great deal happened with the structure over the years; it was purchased and repurchased on several occasions. It did host child refugees from Cuba at one point and Northern Michigan University utilized a part of the building for instructional purposes at another.

New life came to the former orphanage in the form of redevelopment in 2016 when a downstate firm acquired it and began work.

The Grandview Apartments, now. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

Renovation took until 2018 and cost an estimated $15.8 million to compete. The result was the Grandview Apartments.

It contains 56 units and is operated by Community Action Alger-Marquette.

Placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, what was once an unsafe eyesore has been transformed into one if the city’s nicest buildings.