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SJ Wins Governor's Preservation Award

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This is the story that will put the icing on the cake for the St. Joseph Lighthouse Forever Fund Chairman Bob Judd. It's one of those unexpected sidebars that makes the diligent drive all the sweeter just ahead of the wrap up of the project and the eventual recognition wall dedication at Tiscornia Park this spring.

This is the story that puts the City of St. Joseph and its citizens and donors up for some well-deserved credit for the ongoing efforts to save the North Pier Lights in St. Joseph. It also puts an exclamation point on the donations of dozens of local businesses, organizations, families and individuals. 

Governor Rick Snyder and Michigan State Housing Development Authority Executive Director Kevin Elsenheimer have announced six recipients of the 2016 Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation, and the Lighthouse Forever project is among them. 
 
Governor Snyder says, “Each year we recognize the contributions of people who devote time, energy and money into preserving Michigan’s historic structures and archaeological sites.” He adds, “These sites are irreplaceable and are important to maintaining a sense of place and our authentic Michigan identity.”
 
North Pier Inner and Outer Lights are beloved attractions on St. Joseph’s shore. The city acquired the lights from the U.S. Coast Guard after they were decommissioned in 2005.
 
Senator John Proos from St. Joseph says, “In Michigan, we value and learn from our history as much as we hope and believe in our future.” He says, “This award is recognition of the many Southwest Michigan citizens that devote their time and energy to preserving our local heritage.”
 
Citizens and volunteers rallied to raise money – more than $1.8 million – to rehabilitate the structures. According to MSHDA’s State Historic Preservation Office, the project is a model historic rehabilitation.
 
State Representative Al Pscholka chimed in, too, saying, "Hundreds of area residents came together to preserve this iconic structure. This award is a testament to the partnerships that were created to make it all happen." 
 
SHPO initiated the award program in 2003 to recognize outstanding historic preservation achievements that reflect a commitment to the preservation of Michigan’s unique character and the many archaeological sites and historic structures that document Michigan’s past. Previous recipient projects include rehabilitations of the Old Rugged Cross Church in Pokagon Township, the Richter Brewery in Escanaba, the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, and the archaeological investigations at Fort St. Joseph in Niles.
 
Elsenheimer says, “We recognize partnerships, innovation, creativity and excellence with these awards.” As he puts it, “Good historic preservation projects reflect a desire to connect the past with the future, they involve collaboration, and we are pleased to recognize 26 different organizations this year.”
 
The other 2016 recipients include:
 

  • Mackinac Island State Park Commission for the ongoing archaeological investigation of Fort Michilimackinac
  • City of Dearborn; Artspace Projects, Inc.; Neumann/Smith Architecture; the Monahan Company; and the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority for the rehabilitation of Dearborn City Hall Complex
  • Home Renewal Systems LLC, Quinn Evans Architects, and Wolverine Building Group for the rehabilitation of Fremont High School, Fremont
  • The Saginaw-Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan; Central Michigan University Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work; and the City of Mount Pleasant for the Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School archaeological investigation
  • Indian Village Historical Collections, City of Detroit, Public Lighting Authority, DTE Energy, Offshore Spars, SS Stripping/CDS Performance Coatings, Corby Energy Services, and Consulting Engineering Associates, Inc. for the Indian Village Historic Streetlight Rehabilitation Project, Detroit

The awards will be presented at a public ceremony in the Michigan State Capitol Rotunda in May, which is National Historic Preservation Month.
 
To learn about previous Governor’s Award recipients go to michigan.gov/shpo, click on Special Projects and Governor’s Awards.
 
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is financed in part by a grant from the National Park Service, Department of Interior and is part of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), which provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents and to engage in community economic development activities to revitalize urban and rural communities.

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