| Detroit, Michigan -
January 10, 2008 - The Michigan Architectural Foundation, along
with the Clannad Foundation, is accepting applications for the
Evans Memorial Grant for Historic Preservation. Thanks to a five year
commitment from Quinn Evans | Architects of Ann Arbor, a ten thousand
dollar grant will be awarded to a not-for-profit (501(c)(3) organization
that can demonstrate a creative solution to a preservation problem.
David Evans, FAIA was a founding partner of Quinn Evans |
Architects. The firm has restored many high profile historic buildings
in Michigan and throughout the United States. An application form and
further information is available on line at
MAF.org or by
calling headquarters at 313-965-4100. A February 21, 2008 deadline has
been set.
The two foundations joined, in memory of
Evans, to initiate the grant program in 1999. The Evans Memorial
Grant is particularly interested in projects that demonstrate the
creative reuse of a historic property. Evans saw building restoration as
a key element in successful downtown economic revivals.
Now in its tenth year, the Evans
Grant seeks to be a catalyst for the continued use of Michigan's
historic building stock.
The ninth award, the third for the Upper
Peninsula, replaced the roof on the new home of the Chippewa County
Historical Society in Sault Ste Marie. The News Building
constructed in 1889 originally housed Chase S. Osborn's Sault Ste.
Marie News. The jury supports its adaptive reuse and felt that the
restoration of the building would be a welcomed addition to the city's
ongoing "Cool Cities" initiatives, which includes the restoration of the
1930s Soo Theatre.
The Perkins-Copland Log Cabin,
originally located in Haslett but now in Okemos at the Meridian
Historical Village, was the eighth historic structure to benefit from
the grant. The Friends of Historic Meridian acquired the building in
2005 and moved it to Okemos and use it to demonstrate local history.
Although the MAF/Clannad Foundation does not usually support the
relocation of historic structures, vandalism, because of its original
remote location, threatened the survival of one of the few pieces of
primitive architecture left in Michigan and an exception was made.
Number seven went to the Phoenix of the Detroit Fire Department to
assist in the restoration of Engine 11, an 1883 Firehouse on
Gratiot in Detroit. The firehouse was in service until 1989. The planned
renovation includes an overhaul of the building's mechanical systems and
improvements to the aesthetic properties of the exterior.
In the sixth year, the award went to the
Pettibone Creek Hydroelectric Station in Milford to replace the
quarry tile floor in an Art Deco structure that was designed by Albert
Kahn as a power plant for Henry Ford in 1939.
For the fifth year, the grant went to
the Upper Peninsula in Newberry to help to restore the Turret of the
1894 Queen Ann Style Sheriff's Residence for the Luce County
Historical Society.
Down state for number four, the
Corktown Tenement House is one of the few surviving examples of an
Irish workers cottage left in Detroit. The long term goal is to restore
the house for use as a Tenement Museum. For now, the Evans Grant
provided funds to repair the roof.
Number three provided funds for the
exterior restoration of the Pewabic House in Houghton. The house
is the family home of Mary Chase Stratton, the founder of Pewabic
Pottery. The Pewabic Pottery was a leader in the art pottery movement in
the early part of the Twentieth Century and is still in business in
Detroit.
The second award went to the
Coopersville Area Historical Society for the restoration of
Interurban Car #8. Coopersville was commended for saving an unique
example from America's recent past.
The first award was to the Shielding
Tree Nature Center to restore the Lawr Farm, in Port Oneida, for
adaptive reuse. This farm is one of several that are within the Sleeping
Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park.
David Evans, FAIA was a leading advocate
for innovative historic preservation. Evans, who died in 1998, believed
that the architectural treasures of the past must be valued and
preserved for the generations to come.
The Michigan Architectural Foundation
promotes educational, scientific and charitable activities that advance
the quality of architecture and allied arts.
The Foundation sponsors programs that:
- Stimulate public awareness of the
value of architecture,
- Advance architecture through
research and education,
- Enhance the quality of life through
an improved natural and built environment.
The Clannad Foundation was
founded in 1995 by Jeanne and Ralph Graham of Bloomfield Hills.
The aim of the Foundation is to support nonprofit organizations in the
fields of social action, hunger, environmental acquisition and advocacy,
cultural education, emergency housing and education.
"Clannad" is a Gaelic word for
"Family" The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) designated organization and
funds only groups that are non-profit . |
