| | MHPN Announces 2015 Preservation Award Winners
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| The Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN) is pleased to announce our 2015 Historic Preservation Awards winners. Ten award winners from across Michigan were selected in six categories, including: Building, Community, Preservation Gem, Government/Institution, Tax Credit, and Lifetime Achievement. The awards ceremony is one of the highlights of the 35th Annual MHPN Conference, “Always Seeking Modern.” A reception and awards presentation will be held Friday evening, May 15, 2015, at the Griswold Communications Center on the campus of Northwood University in Midland, Michigan. Three Building Awards are presented for projects completed within the last three years. Winning projects may be a restoration or rehabilitation, and must include exterior work, but may also include interior work. While many think of preservation as the multi-million dollar restoration of large historic landmarks, preservation is not limited by size, location or cost. This year’s winners include:
The Bay City City Hall, Bay City. Following a devastating fire in 2010, the Richardsonian Romanesque City Hall underwent a targeted interior and exterior restoration, including the clay tile roof and grand Commission Chambers, returning this monumental building to the people of Bay City.
Chittenden Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing. A meticulous restoration of the long-vacant former home of the University’s dairy and forestry programs created new space for the graduate programs that preserves the spatial quality and historic features of this charming building. Knapp’s Centre, Lansing. For many years the heart of Lansing’s downtown shopping district, the former Knapp’s Department Store was transformed into mixed-use retail, office and residential space, all while restoring the glory of its distinctive Streamline Moderne façade.
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| David Whiney Building, Detroit
photo courtesy of the Roxbury Group
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| The Community Award is presented to a community; e.g. neighborhood association, business preservation group, historical society, etc., that has engaged in a comprehensive plan for historic preservation related projects. The 2015 Community Award is presented to The City of Muskegon, the Baker College Interior Design Program (Historic Preservation Class), Nakkia Grissom, Greenridge Realty, Inc., Kay Pittman, REALTOR and the Michigan Coastal Credit Union for the rehabilitation of 1500 Leahy. Thanks to the vision, collaboration, and sheer persistence of this team, the Streamline Moderne residence in Muskegon was saved from demolition, restored, and is now giving new life to a local family. The Government/Institutional Award is presented to an agency, city, or institution who, by its actions, has accomplished significant positive changes in the historic preservation climate and activity in the State of Michigan. This year’s winner of the Government/Institutional Award is The Alden B. Dow Home & Studio in Midland, given in recognition of its careful stewardship of Alden B. Dow’s architectural and artistic legacy and for its thoughtful and creative educational, interpretive, and academic programs.
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| Westminster Presbyterian Church, Grand Rapids,
photo courtesy Grand River Builders
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| The Preservation Gem Award is presented to an outstanding preservation project that includes restoration or rehabilitation of an element of a building, or of a structure or an object. The 2015 Preservation Gem Award honors the Westminster Presbyterian Church Roof and Steeple Restoration, in Grand Rapids. The restored steeple and roof of the church symbolizes the steadfastness of the congregation’s stewardship and the painstaking craftsmanship of the restoration team.
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| Knapps Centre, Lansing,
photo courtesy of Jim Haefner.
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| The Tax Credit Award is presented to an outstanding project completed in the last three years that included qualified use of federal and/or state tax credit programs. The 2015 Tax Credit Award is presented to the David Whitney Building in Detroit. The rehabilitation of the David Whitney Building created much needed residential space downtown and has had a positive visual and economic effect on the surrounding area, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of historic tax credit projects.
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| Bay City City Hall Interior Stairs, Bay City,
photo courtesy of Andrew Rogers.
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| The winners of the final award category, the Lifetime Achievement Award, are selected by consensus of the Network’s senior leadership. The individuals who receive this award have worked throughout their careers to promote historic preservation in the State of Michigan. In 2015, three recipients have been selected to receive the MHPN Lifetime Achievement Award.
Charles K. Hyde, Royal Oak. For over forty years, Charles K. Hyde has been documenting the history of Michigan, educating its citizens, and advocating for Michigan’s historic places. He is familiar to many in the state for his scholarly yet entertaining histories of Great Lakes lighthouses and the state’s automotive history.
Dawn F. Schumann, Douglas. Dawn F. Schumann has devoted her life to preservation advocacy and community activism on behalf of historic resources. She has a lifelong love for the Saugatuck-Douglas area, and is a fierce advocate for preserving and interpreting its history. Thomas F. Trombley, Saginaw. Thomas F. Trombley’s passion for historical detail has made him one of the state’s most well-respected historians and a perfect advocate for the history of his hometown of Saginaw, where he has spent his thirty-five year career researching and promoting the city’s historic resources.
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| Interested in supporting your favorite Award Winner? Join us Friday May 15, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. The 24th Annual Preservation Awards Reception and Ceremony will be held in the Griswold Communications Center, Northwood University. Free parking is located off Whiting Drive in lots P-2a and P-2b. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased online.
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| The MHPN is Michigan’s statewide preservation organization and the advocacy and resource group for preservationists from all backgrounds. Founded in 1981, the MHPN has hosted this annual educational conference every year since it was founded, moving it around the state to reach more and more people each year. For information about MHPN, please visit our website at: www.mhpn.org.
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