A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held May 16 for the newly-renovated offices of Switalski Law PLLC in downtown Mount Clemens. Jodi Debbrecht Switalski (center), a former Oakland County district court judge, moved into the 131-year-old building early last year and partnered with owner Joe Nahas (fourth from left) on a collaboration aimed at preserving the integrity and history of the structure. When Mark Switalski (fifth from left), retired from the Macomb County Circuit Court bench in 2022, he joined his wife and started a mediation and consulting firm. Others pictured at the recent ceremony are (from left) Cherrilynn Balkema, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, Judy Dobrzycki, Dane Debbrecht, Grace Debbrecht, Thomas Barnes, Michelle Rutkowski, Lisa Damon Brown, Laura Kropp, and Diana Evennou.
(Photo by John Meiu)
On the corner of North Walnut and Macomb Place in downtown Mount Clemens, a two-story building with a sleek black exterior and gleaming eight-foot tall windows is causing quite a stir.
It’s The Van Camp Building, a fixture at that spot for 131 years. It housed many, many businesses over the years but started to show its age. It became an eyesore and was vacant for the last decade. Then, former judge Jodi Debbrecht Switalski and new building owner Joe Nahas combined forces and spent a year restoring and renovating the site.
The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held May 16 and the place was packed with city leaders, local dignitaries, and workers from nearby businesses who were curious to see the results of the ambitious project.
“We are happy to show off this labor of love and are proud to be a part of the new business growth in Mount Clemens,” Switalski said.
Nahas bought the building from the late local businessman John Van Camp in 2020. Just around the corner were the offices of Switalski Law PLLC, where Switalski located her law firm after resigning from Oakland County’s 51st District Court bench in 2015.
“I walked past the building and got a look in those windows and knew instantly that I had to have it,” Switalski said. “The exposed brick walls and original tin-ceiling is what initially attracted me but as soon as I toured the remainder of the building, I knew how much potential it had.”
She moved her offices there and, not long afterwards, her husband, Mark, retired from the Macomb County Circuit Court bench to join the law firm with a mediation and consulting firm.
According to a press release issued by Switalski Law, the Queen Anne style commercial brick structure was built in 1891 by the Shotwell Brothers, George and Mortimer, to house their Mineral Springs Drug Store.
The building’s architect was Northup J. Gibbs, who designed many of the buildings in Mount Clemens including the former Macomb County Courthouse in 1880.
As the years passed, a variety of businesses occupied the space, among them Salad Garden, Baskin & Robbins Ice Cream and McSorley’s Irish Pub.
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