New roof for Charlevoix City Hall among 7 historic preservation projects to win grants in Michigan

What’s happening: Historic preservation projects in the communities of Charlevoix and Coldwater are among seven such projects to receive a total of $250,000 in grants from the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), it was recently announced. The awards were made possible by the federal Historic Preservation Fund-Certified Local Government (CLG) program as administered by the SHPO.

In Charlevoix…: Built in 1939 by the Public Works Administration, the historic Charlevoix City Hall will receive a new roof as a result of the SHPO grant. The project addresses the building’s ongoing moisture issues and will allow the City of Charlevoix to move forward with phased preservation efforts planned throughout the rest of the building.

The Society of Architectural Historians writes that Charlevoix City Hall was designed in the Moderne style by Cheboygan-native G. Harold Thompson, and built with Indiana sandstone by Muskegon Construction.

…And in Coldwater: Built in 1856 as a private residence by U.S. Civil War surgeon Dr. John Beech and his family, the Beech House now serves as the Coldwater Community Center. Ongoing historic preservation efforts began in earnest when the City of Coldwater purchased the building in 2020, which it has leased to the Coldwater Community Center nonprofit since 2022. The SHPO grant will be used to hire a contractor to complete a comprehensive structural engineering analysis of the Beech House, which will then allow for future rehabilitation projects and improvements.

But wait, there’s more: The five other communities receiving SHPO grants to be used toward their own historic preservation projects include the cities of Detroit, Flat Rock, Holland, and Livonia; and Washtenaw County.

What they’re saying: “For more than forty years, the CLG program has helped create partnerships that support communities in their efforts to plan for, invest in, and tell the story of their irreplaceable heritage assets,” says State Historic Preservation Officer Ryan M. Schumaker. “This year’s awards continue to build on that tradition, and SHPO looks forward to working collaboratively with these recipients to support important local efforts.”

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