Braun Court Redevelopment Plan Announced
In a move that feels like the true end of an era, a real estate developer that has been buying up Ann Arbor's Braun Court properties for several years has announced a proposal to replace the historically queer business enclave with a 37-unit condo development.
For decades, the Kerrytown commercial courtyard served as an LGBTQ-affirming community gathering place, anchored by businesses like \aut\ bar, Common Language Bookstore and Trillium Real Estate. Local community members flocked to Pride events and organically turned up in the courtyard when significant news events impacted the community, such as the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision that held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriage.
Wickfield Properties has been gradually buying properties for years, and recently purchased the two final properties: The Bar at 327 Braun Court and Trillium Real Estate, which has been operated by a local married couple, founders Linda Lombardini and Sandi Smith, since 2001. Trillium will move to a new Main Street location.
Wickfield’s plans call for knocking down the buildings in Braun Court and replacing them with 25 two-bedroom condos and 12 three-bedroom condos.