In June, 2009, the following CLG communities were notified regarding successful application for matching grants to undertake historic preservation projects.

City of Detroit - Repair and Stabilize the Belle Isle Aquarium Roof ($40,000) Declined by applicant
The Belle Isle Aquarium was the inspiration of state Rep. David E. Heineman (1865-1935) that grew out of a visit he made to the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station in Naples, Italy, as a young man. Heineman was influenced by the Anton Dohrn Aquarium, and the trends of the City Beautiful Movement, including the positive effects that environmental improvement was believed to have upon social behavior.

Heineman introduced a bill to the Michigan Legislature in 1899 to build an aquarium and horticultural attraction in Detroit in Belle Isle Park. The bill passed and $150,000 was allocated to design, construct and stock an aquarium and attached horticultural building. Detroit architect Albert Kahn was selected to design the aquarium to work with natural elements including light, wind and space for overall functionality with emphasis on lighting of the basement and upper floor, and placement of the mechanics below ground or behind thick walls to facilitate a quiet, calm atmosphere in the public space.

When construction was completed the aquarium was stocked with multiple types of freshwater and saltwater fish, crustaceans and reptiles. The aquarium opened in 1904. The City of Detroit closed the Belle Isle Aquarium in 2003. This project will repair and stabilize the Belle Isle Aquarium roof, as part of a broader plan to reopen the aquarium for the public to enjoy.

City of Kalamazoo - Historic Preservation Trades Training - 10-Day Window Rehabilitation Workshop ($35,170)
Using a historic house in the in the Vine Area Historic District as a laboratory, this grant will support a training program designed to teach carpenters techniques to repair and retrofit wooden windows. Original wooden windows are often an important feature of a historic house. This project will demonstrate and document when historic wooden windows are repaired and retrofitted the energy efficiency can meet or surpass that of inappropriate replacement widows.

For more information on the Window Rehabilitation Workshop, visit the SHPO blog site.

County of Washtenaw - Chelsea Center for the Development of the Arts (CCA), Housed in the Former St. Mary Parish School ($22,000)
This building served as a parish school for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, which burned in 1924 and was reconstructed in 1925. The parish and school later became known as St. Mary's. In 1988, St. Mary's constructed a new parish center, and no longer needed the building for religious education, and was purchased, then donated to CCA by Jeff and Kathleen Daniels. The former gymnasium serves as rehearsal space for the Purple Rose Theater, the CCA offices and music and arts program rooms occupy the main level, while a community preschool occupies the lower level. This project will nominate this historic building to the National Register of Historic Places, and prepare a rehabilitation master plan to guide future rehabilitation and maintenance of the building.

In May, 2008, the following CLG communities were awarded matching grants to undertake historic preservation projects:

City of Detroit - Nominate Detroit Schools to the National Register and Prepare Two Model Adaptive Reuse Plans ($30,000)
Budgetary problems and dropping enrollments have caused the Detroit school district to plan the closure of many historic schools. The city will survey 180 Detroit Public Schools buildings built prior to 1960 and prepare a thematic nomination for the National Register of Historic Places. The city will also hire a consultant to prepare two model adaptive reuse plans for two closed schools that identify alternative uses for the building and identify economic development tools. The model plans can then be used by other communities seeking alternative uses for their closed school buildings.

City of Jackson - Signage Marking the Boundaries of the Oaks Historic District ($1,800)
The city will finalize design, manufacture and install eight boundary signs and19 intersection signs identifying the Oaks Historic District in downtown Jackson.

City of Kalamazoo - Architectural Plans and Specifications for the Repair of the Kalamazoo Water Tower ($23,500)
The Kalamazoo Water Tower once served the Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital and stands today as a landmark on the Kalamazoo horizon. Public outcry over a proposed demolition of the tower followed by a successful local fundraising effort led to a restoration of the tower in the late 1970s. Ownership of the tower was transferred to the Michigan Historical Center at that time. The center is working with the city of Kalamazoo and a newly formed nonprofit group, Friends of the Kalamazoo Water Tower, to once again ensure a secure future for the unique resource. The CLG grant will enable the city of Kalamazoo to hire an architect to prepare plans and specifications for the repair of the tower based on recommendations from a recently completed Condition Assessment Report.

City of Ypsilanti - Protect the Ypsilanti Freighthouse from Water Infiltration ($35,000)
The city of Ypsilanti will control storm water run-off by regrading, constructing an underground drainage system for roof storm water, repairing and replacing deteriorated wood decking, and painting exterior wooden platforms.

City of Menominee in Partnership with the Menominee Opera House Committee - Hire an Architect to Prepare a Rehabilitation Master Plan Report for the Menominee Opera House ($31,000)
Located in the heart of Menominee's Historic Downtown Waterfront District, the Menominee Opera House presents a grand late Victorian front to the street. Chicago architect George O. Garnsey designed the opera house, which opened in 1902 during Menominee's lumber boom. The Menominee community is excited about restoring the building. The CLG grant will pay part of the cost of a rehabilitation master plan report, which will guide the future restoration of the building.
 
City of Kalamazoo - Hire a Consultant to Prepare a Condition Assessment Report for the Kalamazoo Water Tower ($21,800)
The Kalamazoo Water Tower once served the Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital. The medieval-looking tower, designed by Detroit architect William B. Stratton, was built in 1895 and remains today as a community landmark. The city of Kalamazoo is interested in assisting efforts to ensure a secure future for the unique resource. The CLG grant will enable the city of Kalamazoo to hire a consultant to prepare a Condition Assessment Report that will provide information on the existing condition and maintenance needs for the short term and long term future of the tower.

City of Lansing Economic Development Corporation - Hire a Consultant to Prepare Documentation for a National Register District Nomination ($15,000)
Historic buildings in downtown Lansing are being rehabilitated like never before. The city of Lansing wants investors to be able to use federal historic preservation tax credits to rehabilitate downtown historic buildings, so it will hire a consultant with the grant funds to survey the downtown area and prepare a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. To be eligible for the tax credits a property must either be individually eligible or listed in the national register, or be included in a national register district. The district will include much of the area from Ionia to Lenawee Streets and from Towsend Street and Capitol Avneue to Grand Avenue.

City of Holland - Exterior Restoration and Stabilization Work on the Van Raalte Farm House ($11,700)
The city of Holland purchased the historic 160-acre Van Raalte Farm in 1983. The farmhouse is one of the last structures remaining in Holland associated with the family of Holland founder the Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte. Van Raalte purchased the farm in 1847 and gave the land to his son Benjamin when he returned from the Civil War. In 1989 eleven acres of the farm, including the original farmhouse and two barns built between 1865 and 1875, were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. With the CLG grant the city of Holland will stabilize the farmhouse by replacing the roof and repairing masonry, in addition to other work, so that this important piece of Holland's history will be preserved.

City of Allegan - Regent Theatre Marquee Rehabilitation Project ($31,000)
The historic Regent Theatre, located in downtown Allegan, opened in 1919 in what was formerly a late-19th-century livery. It originally showed not only movies, but also presented vaudeville acts on its stage. In the 1930s the Regent received an Art Deco facelift, including a façade with red and green lights and a neon-lit marquee. Today the Regent Theatre, which is owned by the city of Allegan, shows movies and holds special events such as the showing of classic silent films accompanied by live musicians; promoting economic downtown development by cross-promoting films with local merchants; and conducting an interactive "haunted theatre" on Halloween.

Over the years the marquee and its structural framing have deteriorated, causing concern that the marquee may have to be removed for the safety of those passing underneath it. Grant funds will be used to conduct a structural engineering assessment of the marquee, the structural framing system and roof, remove and repair the marquee, perform repairs to the structural system, replace electrical wiring, repair the roof and reinstall the marquee.

Detroit City Council Historic Designation Advisory Board in Partnership with the Michigan Historic Preservation Network -Historic Preservation Building Arts Lab Program within A. Philip Randolph Career and Technical Center ($28,500)
Utilizing the Historic Fort Wayne's Commanding Officer's House as a laboratory for instruction and hands-on work, the Detroit City Council's Historic Designation Advisory Board (HDAB), in partnership with the Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN) and the A. Philip Randolph Career and Technical Center (Randolph), will develop and establish a Historic Preservation Building Arts Lab program within Randolph, a Detroit public school.

The Historic Building Arts Lab will augment Randolph's existing building arts program by providing in-school and on-site training in historic-preservation techniques and practices in the areas of painting and decorating, masonry, carpentry and computer-aided design. In addition to classroom instruction on proper historic-preservation methods, historic-preservation experts will be hired to demonstrate historic preservation techniques and to work sided-by-side with the students. Randolph is one of a small number of high schools in the nation to offer training in the building arts. The Historic Preservation Building Arts Program will be a well-documented model program so that it can be easily built into the established curriculum at Randolph and easily transferable to other school systems.

Washtenaw County - Heritage Tourism Maps ($20,000)
Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment will utilize existing data in the county's HistWeb database to create themed driving/biking tours of the historic resources in Washtenaw County. The county will develop color pamphlets containing contextual narrative, wayfinding directions and suggested routes and a map of the historic resources associated with each theme.

In addition it will create a Heritage Tourism Web page on HistWeb that includes all maps and downloadable, printable PDF files of the themed pamphlets. Additional funding from other sources will be sought to print the themed maps. The maps will be designed to be visually appealing to the general public and tourism organizations. A marketing plan will be implemented, including the preparation of press releases to area newspapers, radio stations and Web sites. Documentation or advertisements will be submitted to travel magazines, a link will be established to the HistWeb page from the state's tourism Web site (Travel Michigan) and one public outreach program will be held promoting the Heritage Tourism Maps.

City of Detroit - Eastern Market National Register Boundary Expansion ($7,200)

City of Jackson - Michigan Theatre of Jackson Rehabilitation Plan ($30,000)

City of Ypsilanti - Freighthouse Rehabilitation ($30,000)

County of Washtenaw - Manchester Village National Register Designation and Development of HistWeb ($30,000)

City of Allegan - Griswold Auditorium Restoration and Education Project ($45,000)
The historic Griswold Auditorium built in 1929 is located in the Griswold Civic Center Historic District in heart of downtown Allegan on the Kalamazoo River. The 730-seat performance auditorium is a regional cultural and meeting facility used for a variety of events and gatherings serving Allegan county and surrounding communities. This grant will help the city of Allegan make masonry repairs, perform window restoration and clean and repair limestone. A unique educational component of this grant is to provide hands-on workshops that walk participants through the step-by-step process of restoration work as it is being performed.

County of Washtenaw - Historic Resources on Geographic Information System ($25,000)
The Washtenaw County Historic District Commission and Planning Department will continue to develop its web-based GIS site called HistWeb during phase II of this project. The county will upgrade the website to make it more user-friendly as well as add new survey information to the system. The county will conduct new field survey work and use survey information created over the last twenty years to supplement the current information posted on the website. The website is available to the public and city, county, and state planners. It is a model for other communities across the state.

City of Detroit - South Rosedale Park National Register Nomination Project ($30,000)
South Rosedale Park is a planned neighborhood developed primarily during the 1920s and 1930s that has retained its historic character. The city of Detroit will conduct a historic resource survey and prepare a nomination for the district to the National Register of Historic Places. The information gathered through this project will also help residents achieve local historic district designation to protect their unique historic neighborhood.

City of Ypsilanti - Michigan Central Railroad Freighthouse ($30,000)
The 1878 Michigan Central Freighthouse is located in the Ypsilanti Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Currently used as the Ypsilanti Farmers Market and housing specialty shops, the structure is also used for a variety of youth-centered educational, recreational and cultural activities. This grant will help the city repair the electrical system, masonry, gutters and downspouts, and paint.

Canton Township - Cemetery Preservation Handbook ($5,000)
Canton Township boasts three historic cemeteries. Township staff has undertaken the restoration of these cemeteries, including repair of headstones and other features that were badly deteriorated. Canton Township has been awarded a grant to develop a handbook for the preservation of historic cemeteries in Michigan that can be used by other communities facing the same challenges in historic cemetery maintenance.

City of Jackson - Historic Resource Survey ($15,000)
The city of Jackson has included historic preservation as an integral part of its revitalization efforts. The grant will aid the city of Jackson in completing survey of its downtown historic resources, possibly leading to National Register of Historic Places nominations in the future.

For information about any of the programs described on this site, write the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., P.O. Box 30740, Lansing, MI 48909-8240, or contact us at (517) 373-1630 or preservation@michigan.gov.

State Historic Preservation Office, Michigan State Housing Development Authority
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