This Lansing Skyscraper Will Be a Monument to the Ruling Class
The taxpayer-backed Tower on Grand will allow Michigan's elites to literally look down on us from their skyline spa
We are told Michigan has a housing crisis. So naturally, Lansing’s political and development class decided the answer was… a luxury skyscraper in downtown Lansing, featuring golf and racing simulators, wellness spa, cold plunge, and a sky lounge to sip cocktails after a busy week of spending taxpayer funds.
While ordinary Michiganders are told there is an affordable housing emergency, Lansing’s ruling class found time, money, and enthusiasm for a building designed to rise above it all.
The project, dubbed the Tower on Grand, broke ground earlier this month, in partnership with New Vision Lansing LLC, Christman Companies, and Hobbs & Black Architects. The total cost is about $315 million through a combination of private funds and over $200 million in state tax incentives and reimbursements.
Once completed, the Tower on Grand is expected to become the tallest building in Lansing, overtaking the historic Boji Tower, which has held that title since 1931.
At 300 feet tall with 28 stories, it will be a luxury residence towering over the seat of government. And since Lansing’s largest employer is the state government, we can only guess who the elite tenants will be.
The Tower on Grand illustrates just how out of touch the ruling class is in Michigan. It is celebrated by the same circles that routinely lecture Michiganders about inequality, access, and housing justice.
While ordinary residents struggle to afford starter homes, childcare, groceries, and property taxes, the capitol’s elite are helping finance a tower filled with premium amenities and skyline views of the Capitol Building.
Public officials and their preferred development partners speak the language of compassion while practicing the politics of prestige.
They invoke the needs of the working class, then subsidize projects designed for professionals, insiders, and those wealthy enough to enjoy “luxury urban living.”
And where will this tower stand? In the seat of state government itself—a literal monument to the people who govern from above. A skyscraper offers symbolism, status, and spectacle—the three currencies of political vanity.
So yes, Lansing may soon have a new tower on Grand Avenue. It may sparkle in the skyline and become a point of civic pride. But many Michiganders will see something else when they look up: A ruling class that built itself a tower over the crisis below.
