The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has awarded approximately $673,000 in grants to support preservation of and reinvestment in historic buildings in rural communities across the state, the Michigan Strategic Fund announced today.
The grants represent awards from the SHPO’s Rural Heritage Partnership Grant Program, supported by one-time funding from the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program, administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
SHPO’s program was established to strengthen the office’s direct assistance and support to property owners in the state’s rural areas, where funding opportunities may be limited, especially for historic buildings.
Grant awards range from $51,000 to $100,000 and will support critical work on buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s official list of places deemed worthy of preservation.
This work includes supporting the activation of vacant buildings and addressing essential needs such as foundation stabilization, roof replacement, and masonry repair to protect buildings from structural deterioration and water infiltration. Awards are being made to the following applicants:
IRON COUNTY
Alpha Porter Gym, a non-profit organization, is receiving $100,000 to support rehabilitation and activation of the vacant 1914 Alpha Porter Gym, part of the Alpha Public Buildings Historic Complex, as a community center. The project includes reconstruction and rehabilitation of damaged exterior masonry to ensure the building is weathertight and mitigate ongoing deterioration so that it can once again benefit residents of the Village of Alpha and surrounding communities.
“The Alpha Porter Gym is honored to receive this grant from SHPO which will allow us to repair the brick on the Historic Gym, said Lydia Novitsky, project manager. “Without this financial support, the project could not move forward with the integrity needed to prepare for a future of continued community use. With this grant, the Alpha Porter Gym will stand proudly, with doors open, serving Alpha and Iron County once again. Many thanks to the MEDC, and SHPO, for selecting our community project, and helping us through the process along the way.”
KEWEENAW COUNTY
The Keweenaw County Historical Society is receiving $100,000 to support a systematic rehabilitation of the 1895 Eagle Harbor Fog Signal Building. Funds will be used to rehabilitate the building’s historic corrugated iron roof panels and address deteriorated roofing to prevent further water infiltration and provide a weathertight building shell so that the building can continue to house ongoing educational programming as the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse’s maritime museum.
“This grant allows KCHS to restore the Fog Signal Building’s original 1895 iron-plate exterior while preserving the evidence of the many changes in how it functioned over the years, so the building can keep telling its story to the current generation and those that follow,” said Gerald L. Hintz, Jr., KCHS project coordinator. “As part of the Eagle Harbor Light Station Complex, the Fog Signal Building helps the Keweenaw County Historical Society educate the public about the maritime shipping industry and its importance to the early mining era as the lifeline that brought supplies in and carried copper out of the Keweenaw when there was no other way. We’re grateful for the support this grant provides in preserving this history.”
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