June 15, 2009

Department of History, Arts and Libraries Acting Director Mark Hoffman and State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway today announced $97,170 in historic preservation grants to two cities and one county for 2009. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) receives federal Historic Preservation Fund monies to operate the state's historic preservation programs, which include the federal historic preservation tax credit program and the National Register of Historic Places.

Each year 10 percent of the SHPO's federal grant is awarded to Certified Local Governments (CLGs), of which there are 19 in Michigan.

"Maintaining a sense of place - the historic character of our communities - is vital to making Michigan a destination for visitors and employers alike," said Hoffman. "The ongoing work of Certified Local Governments, communities with local historic districts, and property owners with a passion to preserve and protect historic structures, their work benefits all of us."

Communities meet the requirements for CLG status by adopting a local historic preservation ordinance consistent with the state Historic Districts Act (PA 169 of 1970 as amended); establishing a historic district commission; and establishing local historic districts. Conway noted, "This year's CLG grant awards will assist in the rehabilitation of three historic structures and provide a jobs training program of repairing and retrofitting historic windows to increase energy efficiency."

Communities receiving CLG grants are required to contribute 40 percent of the total project cost. The grant awards are as follows:

$40,000 - City of Detroit - Repair and Stabilize the Belle Isle Aquarium Roof

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.

$35,170 - City of Kalamazoo - Historic Preservation Trades Training - 10-Day Window Rehabilitation Workshop

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.

$22,000 - County of Washtenaw - Chelsea Center for the Development of the Arts (CCA), Housed in the Former St. Mary Parish School

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.

CLG funds are appropriated to state historic preservation offices nationwide through the Historic Preservation Fund, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The SHPO receives federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties.

Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally assisted programs. Those who believe they have been discriminated against in any program, activity or facility as described above, or those seeking further information, should write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.

The SHPO (www.michigan.gov/shpo) assists in the identification, rehabilitation and interpretation of Michigan's historic resources. The SHPO is a division of the Michigan Historical Center, part of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL). Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, HAL also includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).