Governor Rick Snyder and Gary Heidel, executive director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, announced the selection of the 2012 Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation. The State Historic Preservation Office initiated the award program in 2003 to recognize outstanding historic preservation achievements reflecting a commitment to the preservation of Michigan’s unique character and the [...]

LANSING, MI:  Titled “Model Change-Over: A New Era for Historic Preservation in Michigan,” the 32nd annual conference presented by the Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN), takes place May 10-12 in Flint, Michigan.  It will be headquartered at the historic downtown Masonic Temple. “Flint is historically and architecturally rich.  From the first Sit-Down Strike, to the [...]

If you have an interest in historic preservation, let me encourage you to check out the December 2011 issue of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network’s Network News. To access the publication, click here. Bruce Snook River Country Journal

A FREE two-day workshop on the historic preservation of homes and small commercial buildings is slated for December 2nd and 3rd in Ypsilanti. According to a news release from the Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN), “This primer to historic preservation will give you the basics and a framework from which to begin your projects that [...]

Work is underway to breathe new life into still another building in Historic Downtown Three Rivers. The focal point of this project is the structure at 51 North Main Street, a two-story, brick building now owned by Tim Raakman, pastor of the Christian Reformed Church of Three Rivers. During an early August interview with the [...]

Kalamazoo – The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Michigan State Housing Development Authority, will hold a visioning workshop in Kalamazoo for the state’s five-year historic preservation plan. The workshop will take place on Tuesday, September 13, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Park Club, 219 W. South Street. The workshop is free and [...]

This writer has been heartened to observe the progress made – particularly during the last year-and-a-half – toward establishment of a Local Historic District in downtown Three Rivers, adoption of a Local Historic District Ordinance, and creation of a Local Historic District Commission to implement the ordinance.  This is especially true as the City of [...]

The Michigan Historic Preservation Network is seeking support in its bid for funding in the 2011 This Place Matters Community Challenge, an online contest conducted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP). An e-mail appeal from the MHPN says: “The National Trust for Historic Preservation, supported by the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and National [...]

The Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Historical Commission have announced that the 2011 Governor John B. Swainson Award will be presented to three recipients in the Capitol Rotunda at an 11 a.m. ceremony on Thursday, June 9. This year’s winners hail from the City of Plainwell, Port of Monroe and Charlevoix County. Given [...]

KALAMAZOO–A boutique hotel, a conference center, offices, apartments, restaurants and retail outlets, or a condominium development–those are just some of the possible future uses for Western Michigan University’s East Campus that have emerged after WMU officials challenged private developers to find a way to breathe life back into the site. But just as developers from [...]

The process aimed at establishing a Local Historic District in downtown Three Rivers is nearing completion. Christy Trammell, executive director of the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority (DDA), provided an update on the subject during the April meeting of the DDA Board of Directors Friday morning (April 1st). Trammell noted that the process dates back [...]

An historic building in downtown Burr Oak will be getting some much-needed attention thanks to an area farmer and funding through the State of Michigan. For more on the story from Jef Rietsma and the Sturgis Journal, click here.

“It is progressing, although it’s taken a little longer than we first anticipated.” That was the word from Christy Trammell, executive director of the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority (DDA), as she reported on the process aimed at establishing a Local Historic District in Three Rivers. Trammell provided an update on the topic during the [...]

The annual “Homecoming” for St. Paul’s Reformed Church of Colon – South Colon, to be precise – is set for Sunday, September 12th. Former parishioners and others affiliated with the long-closed church at the intersection of Burr Oak and Custer Roads – midway between Colon and Burr Oak – are invited to attend. The annual [...]

A Colon area landmark for well over a century – St. Paul’s Reformed Church of Colon Township – is sporting a brighter look these days after a project to re-glaze windows and paint all of the building’s wooden surfaces including the steeple. The work was done earlier this month by JL Powerwashing, Sandblasting & Painting [...]

Jef Rietsma has written an interesting and informative article for the Sturgis Journal that reports on efforts to return donations received for the Mendon Heritage School. To access the story, click here.

Historic preservation was in the spotlight Friday morning (May 21st) at the Riviera Theatre in downtown Three Rivers as the Local Historic District Study Committee hosted an informational meeting.  The meeting was held for building owners within the proposed Local Historic District and other persons with an interest in the topic. The meeting featured a [...]

On May 5th, the Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN) along with the City of Kalamazoo was recognized for their highly successful Window Rehabilitation Workshops with a 2010 Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation Award.  Workshop coordinators and MHPN board members, Stephen Stier and James Turner represented MHPN in accepting the award along with City of Kalamazoo [...]

The Local Historic District Study Committee will hold an informational meeting on Friday, May 21st, at 9 a.m. at the Riviera Theatre. The meeting is for building owners located within the proposed district – Main Street at Michigan Avenue north to Moore Street and then down Portage Avenue to Joshua Drive.  The meeting is open [...]

Tax Day 2010 has come and gone, but it’s the right time for owners of historic buildings in Michigan to plan rehabilitation projects for commercial, residential or industrial property, taking advantage of state and federal tax incentives—and the  Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN) is here to help. At this year’s annual conference in Ann Arbor, [...]