Calvin University sells two of its Grand Rapids, Mich., campus buildings

The Christian university has sold the Youngsma Center for $2 million and the adjacent Surge Building for $850,000 as part of an effort to reduce infrastructure costs and consolidate office space.

June 21, 2022

2 min read

Calvin University, a Christian university in Grand Rapids, Mich., has sold two of its buildings and is looking to sell a third.

The sales are part of an effort to reduce infrastructure costs and consolidate office space, reports The Grand Rapids Press.

The Youngsma Center was sold for $2 million and the adjacent Surge Building for $850,000.

A third building, the Raybrook Office Building, remains up for sale at a listed price of $1.35 million.

Tim Fennema, vice president of finance and administration at Calvin, said the sales aren't related to any financial troubles. The university assessed which buildings were extraneous to its mission and how it could condense its office space, which is spread out across the campus.

Prior to the sale, the Surge Building was being leased to Hope Network. Fennema said the university sold the building to an organization that's managing Hope Network's real estate.

The Youngsma Center, which housed office space for Calvin's advancement office and its Van Lunen Center for executive management education, was sold to a nonprofit focused on children. The Raybrook Office Building is leased to Lakewood Construction. It previously housed the university press, Center for Social Research and Center for Christian Scholarship.