The Four Different Names of Lansing’s Tallest Building
I’ve always called it the Michigan National Bank Building, and I probably always will. After decades of calling Lansing’s tallest building one thing, switching gears this late in life, for me, is pointless.
This historic 23-story tall building can be found at 124 Allegan Street in downtown Lansing. The cornerstone was laid in November 1929, construction was completed in 1931, and was called Olds Tower, named after local auto mogul R.E. Olds.
Why?
Because he footed most of the bill for the construction.
Aside from automobiles and the Olds Tower, Olds also had a hand in creating the Capital Bank. So, the tower was re-named the Capital Bank Tower.
After opening to the public on April 6, 1931, twenty-three years later – 1954 – it again changed names. This time as the Michigan National Bank Tower.
For almost 50 years, that is what we called it.....and then, in 2001, Michigan National Bank was bought out by Standard Federal Bank, who told the owners of the tower to get rid of the neon 'Michigan National' sign. So, to the dismay of many, they did.
The building sat nameless until 2005; the building had been purchased in 1998 by the Boji development team, so instead of letting the tower remain nameless, they dubbed it the Boji Tower, which it remains to this day.
Thanks to continuous renovations by the Boji family, it still stands as a pillar of downtown and historically the tallest structure – at 23 stories - in all of Lansing.
