Roll call. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Board Member Brazil.
Board member Carter,
she's coming in, so I'll hold up. Board Member Fisher present.
Board Member Eric here, like,
you know what? You know what I'm like, Okay? Denise,
thank you. I appreciate that.
Board,
ex official member from boxer. Reno present, we have a quorum. Mr. Chair, thank you. Item two, approval of the
agenda.
We want to move item five to
No. We're just going to go right because agenda
second. Eric,
all in favor, opposed, abstentions, motion carries, move on the minutes as everyone has a chance to read the draft overnight, there is a spelling on my report that is talking about the process.
Remember reports at the end,
the correct spelling is V, like in fifth, third, O, C, E, S, which means voices. That's correct and it's capitalized, yes, an acronym. Okay, future, I had some comments, but rather than go through all the fruit reading I had, I'd like to share my comments
with the others. Appreciate
any other corrections under
demolition risks. It's keeper. I know how to spell it, but I
know demolition. Know yes, good
answer to
Yes,
any other directions?
Very nice.
All in favor accepting the minutes for January 14, 2025,
with correct Mr. Chair. It was January 16, we don't want to
You said 14.
Back to the agenda.
Introduction on the new
historic designation project. Board Member Charles rivers.
Welcome to
this wonderful board.
You'll find that most of the time we're very formal.
What about it? Sometimes search
wonderful people they are.
Did you have any comments you'd like to make? You know
what comments you would be? What comments they usually make about yourself? I work from Michigan
State University.
Okay, you and I don't get along very well.
I'm in government relations. I'm the Vice President's office. I have a responsibility for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb College of the university,
I have an office. So we've had meetings there, coming
here, yes, I hosted you.
That was about a year two ago, and
I have an office in ways. I mean Oakland paradise responsibilities.
I did attend the university
before that, University of Illinois, then before that,
a number of degrees,
prior to the August, I would afford more to come before Michigan State Senator.
And I was in government relations there,
and I
went to Michigan State but I met a young lady I was dating at that time. She's from Detroit, so I came to Detroit.
And I do live in city. Do
you live in a historic district?
A historical district? I'm over northwest Detroit. I
I'm on Northwestern
other than that. Is there something maybe I did not say that somebody would like
any questions
I did know how long? Yes. In fact, when I was at Ford, I was actually the vice president. So there
also your
question, yes,
any questions or anything that maybe like to know,
you are not in an official historic district, but you are a historic neighborhood that has a lot of activity
around, very much a lot of activity. Working with, well, we were working with quite a few grants, but they are on pause, I do believe is the word that's being used, but we've been designated in terms of the mayor's office, in terms of modeling, as to what could be done with your allies.
And
so there's a there's a project that we were working on, and we basically took the opinion a dumb ass with the city. Can she be as if the city, which is, and that's what got the attention from this office. So we've turned our alleys into we have three different types of alleys. We have alleyways, and we have greenways, and then we have what we call dream boards. What would you like to dream for your owl to be and some people just wanted to be green. Those have been green ways. And then you have one or two of us, they just want to be an hour. And so that's a model that we will be hearing about
June 28 and there will be rolling
out the South. This is a model we'd like to
see. So again, welcome. Thank
you. Please.
Unfinished business, the historic designation,
Mr. Chair. We do have others, if you can kind of look up on the Yeah, it's not on the on this agenda, yeah. Okay. New to the office. We have office staff,
Andrew wilney.
Wilhelm, well, I'm sorry. Check our comments with suspect. Yes.
And can you introduce yourself and maybe tell the board a little bit about what it is that you'll be doing?
Andrew, well, and I have an academic background. Just recently graduated from Wayne State School of Information with the castration and archives, I also have a degree from Eastern Michigan in historic preservation.
So this is Brad
for the project I'm working on is to prepare film slides typically taken photographs that we taken for Historic District surveys for digitization, upload onto a software platform that could be accessed, uh internally and hopefully by the public as well.
And if you'll know, excuse me, board member Ward knows he's looking at all of our old designation, you know, previous designations and those slides and uploading those, seeing what's missing, you know, filling in the gaps from the very beginning of our
documentation of
locally designated districts. So finally, we back. We got a grant thanks to Kelsey and work that she did from our office in applying and so Andrew has come on board to to assist us. So I'm looking forward to the to the job, and, you know, he's shy, and I think a little bit modest about his background, you know, you know he's, you know, he's, he's, he's worked on some, some pretty major projects, and I think that he's just been a little shy about that. So, Andrew, yeah, you can, it's okay to put your heart a little bit. Would you like me to laugh? Yeah?
Well, I summer internships throughout my schooling, my recent schooling and School of Information, working at the Ruther library and processing professors papers there and at the University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center, where I was able to work on a three month project on processing the collection of a filmmaker, Jonathan Deming. They have a special collection there on
filmmakers and film producers.
And then
I worked for the Wayne State anthropology museum while I was a student, as well, helping them organize their archives. Then I've done some volunteer work at the Detroit sound conservatives,
trying to get as much experience as I can.
And beginning of my career,
my most my professional career has been working at Zingerman's Deli at Harvard, so a little bit of a switch from there, but, and that's historic.
I think board member Carter had a question, do
you still need that?
Still needed? Um, now that we actually have Andrew on board, we didn't let we'll follow up. Um, before it was since we haven't had them starting, I I wasn't sure if you need it, so I'll put it up and we'll follow up. Thanks. Yeah, thank you. The reminder.
Okay, Ashlyn
Hernandez, I may through the
chair. Ashlynn is currently on a plane back in Puerto Rico, so we should not attend, personally or in person, although I'm hoping that she'll still be our intern in April, and that she can attend our April board meeting. She is a very nice young woman from Wayne State University. She is majoring in she's in her undergraduate program, majoring in anthropology, a minor in history. She was born and raised in southwest Detroit. Her grandparents came from Puerto Rico in the 60s, and they actually had a barber shop somewhere, which I know that she can speak to when she is here. She's been a great help with us with our Latinx project, helping research some specific properties. She's also going to, going to be helping us translate some of the State Historic Preservation offices paperwork into Spanish for our national register district nomination to help distributed in the main room. So hopefully she'll be here next month, but she is. She's been a great help to us. Thank you.
Okay.
Unfinished business. You this story.
The floor is now open for additional nominees for
chair.
Through the Chair, if I may, at this point, I will take over us. No, you ask the chair cannot run the run the elections. No, you cannot run the election. So I will take on that, and then we can move forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So if you recall, if you recall, at our
January meeting, we
did ask for nominations for open up the tip for nominations for our three Chair, Vice Chair, secretary, and the board made the following nominations, and you have to be present to vote, And that's why we kind of put it up for and we make nominations the first month, and then we don't vote that month on the the candidate, and then we wait a month, and we did not meet last month, so we're going to be doing that today, and we'll start with The chair, and right now we just have one candidate, and that's Carolyn Carter, and that means that the floor is open for anyone else who may want to nominate anyone else or themselves.
So flipping around, I see that
that there's no hands up, and no one's speaking up. So if I can have a motion that the nomination for the chair for the historic designation advisory board be closed
second, all
right, and since we only have one candidate, we'll just do a vote. We would have passed out paper ballots, but because it's just not First all, those in favor of Carol Dr, Carolyn Carter becoming our the chair of the historic designation advisory board. Indicate by saying, I just let me do a raise of hands, because I think, since this
is so it looks like
Okay, any of any opposition, any opposed, Any abstentions, I guess
technically, we abstain. You don't have a vote.
That's okay.
Alright, so
Dr Carolyn Carter, welcome, thank you, and you are the new chair of the historic designation advisory next we will and and we the next president for life.
Oh, like someone else went there, huh, in DC,
the next, the next we have for Vice Chair. And right now we have just one nominee, and that is the Rivera. The floor is open for anyone else, any other, anybody else, want to nominate someone for the position of Vice Chair. If not, then I'm make a motion that the nominations be closed Second.
Okay,
all right, then we'll do this again by
raising of the hands, if all those in favor of Aussie Rivera as vice chair for the historic designation Advisory Board, please do so by yourself.
All right. Any opposition, Anybody opposed,
Any abstentions?
Okay, we do have Mister Mister rivers, board member rivers, you, I know you're new So, but you are the extent you know, because you're not voting, we do have to list you as
absent, okay, because I'm not aware of
who, right? No, that's fine. No, I'm just, I just want to let you know that that's how it's going to be reported, as a thing, yes, and that's yes, it's no big deal. It's just that the fact that you are, you are a board member now, so that's why, okay? And we can put that in the minutes that you as a new board member, and you know, so we'll add that caveat, so that it doesn't look like you're just not. You're very welcome. And then the next one is for Secretary and Melanie Brazil, and she's not Anton, and she was not she had let us, she did let us know that she could join us remotely, but she was not going to be able to make it in. I don't know if you want to table this Until next month, or if there's anyone else who was interested in the position of Secretary
up to the board,
you can't she has to be present. No, she has to be present.
No, she has to be present.
She has to be present.
So we can table it until next month, when she is present.
Okay, all right, then at this point we have
two, two new
two, new two. Number Dr Carolyn Carter is our chair and our Vice Chair, Avira, so congratulations to our two
at this time. I also would like to thank health and board former Board Chair Kelvin Jackson, for all of the town work and dedication um, he has stepped up when no one else wanted to pitch in. So I really appreciated that back in the day.
So again, thank you so very much, and we know that you know that we will be depending and looking out for your guidance as we continue on. Yeah, and also, just so you know the board member rivers, who has is our newest board member, Theresa holder, his note, she was from district two. Board Member. Rivers is also from district two. He is replacing her. I did speak with her earlier this week and to let her know that we will try to do something. And Kevin, you're not going to talk about that, to thank her for her time on the board.
Okay, so I will be sending, I did
color flowers on the from the from the HDF staff and board to be sent to her, so she should she'll get those hopefully Saturday. I didn't want to do them until after we had the meeting today. So those have been ordered, and they will be looking to her to say, thank you for your time, and certainly for so
that's it. So I'll turn it over to our new Dr, darling.
Moving along with the agenda, we are in item six, new business, conductors, Protective Association, CPA. Wilded, two team, 002216, Michigan Avenue, 241, 114, three. Draft preliminary report the presenters. Lisa Bucha, this is a golden Madison.
Thank you
through the Chair. Good afternoon board members by resolution dated November 21 2024 the Detroit City Council charged the historic designation advisory board with the official study of the conductor's protective assurance building, also known as the CPA building Historic District. I'd like to introduce first our ad hoc committee members for this designation process. Mr. Robert Zoe is the owner of the CPA building. He does reside out of state. He is in New Jersey, and I don't think he is on the line with us. Unfortunately, we have been in correspondence with him. He has agreed for this process to go forward, so hopefully he will be able to join us at the future public hearing and meeting here as well. But we also have in person with us, Blake Olmstead, who is seated old Shapiro, who is a who is the president of the Corktown Historical Society and also a Corktown resident and has agreed to be the other ad hoc committee member for this process. So please welcome Blake. So on the screen, you'll see a map the proposed boundaries of the CPA building Historic District, run on the north, the center line of east, west alley parallel to and north of Michigan Avenue on the east, the center line of 14th Street on the south, the center line of Michigan Avenue and on the west, the westerly boundary extended northerly and southerly of Lot three of the subdivision of the god growing farm, PC 726, lying between Michigan Avenue and Grand River Avenue, as reported in lieu one page 293, Platts wayne county records the boundaries described above delineate the parcel presently and historically occupied By the proposed CPA building. Historic Districts, original footprint and to its west, a non contributing lot at 20 to 16 Michigan Avenue. At the time of this proposed designation, on this lot stands a drive through structure canopy that also is non contributing and is attached to the CPA building. The proposed Historic District is in the port town neighborhood, District Six to the north, across Michigan Avenue from the Michigan Central Station. We acknowledge the native peoples and cultures who lived on this land, that included the Chippewa, Ottawa, Potawatomi nations, as well as those traveling through the area, including the ashinavi, Wyandot, Iroquois, Fox, Miami and salt, multiple trail systems, including the Great soft trail, the path, sometimes referred to as the Potawatomi trail, is now known as Michigan Avenue in 1825, President James Monroe signed a bill into law that funded the survey for The Michigan road. Also known now is Michigan Avenue. Criteria, the conductor's protective assurance building, again, CPA building is significant under HDAB criterion, one which is similar to the National Register. Criterion, a sites, building, structures or archeological sites, were cultural, social, spiritual, economic, political or architectural history of the community, city, state or nation is particularly reflected or exemplified. The CPA building is also significant under HDAB criterion three, which is similar to the National Register Criterion C buildings or structures which embody the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural specimen, inherently valuable as a representation of a period, style or method of construction,
the conductor's protective assurance building, CPA owes its name to its first and long time owner, the conductor's protective Assurance Company. The company was established in 1907 by w j Ross to protect eligible railroad workers discharged from their jobs. In 1915 the company reorganized as a family owned stock corporation, and by 1922 began planning for its new building on Michigan Avenue and 14th Street. By then, the company had over 15,000 members and over $5 million of insurance in force when the building opened in 1924 Mr. Ross stated, quote, The CPA company has been in business for 18 years and is the only concern of its kind in America, it ensures railroad officials, conductors and engineers, against the loss of their jobs because of being fired, being forced out of their position because of old age or physical disability, while railroad unions represented workers, CPA developed to assist its membership for loss of employment before the advent of social welfare programs and unemployment
benefits.
Upon the completion of the building, CPA took occupancy of the entire sixth floor. A branch of central saving bank opened on the ground floor, two additional store spaces were on the ground floor as well. 14 business office spaces were made available on the floors two through five. These were often occupied by real estate and insurance companies, contractors, and at one time, a dentist. The CPA company remained in the building until 1990 when it moved to the suburbs, it was acquired by a California company in 2010 and dissolved in 2012 while the bank occupant changed several times. The ground level maintained a bank tenant well into the 1980s in 1959 the adjacent building to the west, which can be slightly seen here in this image on the screen, was raised to accommodate a bank customer parking lot and a drive up window. By 1977 a new drive through structure with a canopy teller stands and a drive up window was constructed by the Bank of Commonwealth. The CPA building is highly visible and is distinguished by its angled corner location at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and 14th Street. Michigan Avenue became one of Judge Augustus Woodward's major diagonal avenues laid out in his 1805 city of Detroit plan by 1940 it was widened to 120 feet, but had no impact on the CPA building. The building's location across from the Michigan Central Station, as you can see here in the image on the screen, was well suited for its purpose, serving workers of the railroad industry, and in that it provided the opportunity for great visibility on a busy commercial corridor. The angled site allowed the building's architect Alvin e Harley, to utilize a flat iron design giving prominence to both Michigan Avenue and 14th street
facades.
The building is neoclassical, a style often used in the 1920s for commercial buildings, especially related to finance and banking. The style was thought of as dignified with classical features such as plasters embellished breezes and cornices and dental and detailed such as details, excuse me, such as dental moldings. Alvin e Harley was a well known architect who practiced in Detroit from 1903 to 1963 he moved to Detroit from London, Ontario at a time when the city was expanding and business for architects was plentiful as the automobile manufacturing boom was just getting underway. Harley worked as a draftsman and apprentice with two of the city's leading architects, first Albert Kahn in 1903 and then George D Mason in 1905 exposing him to industrial projects as well as more traditional architectural design. Harley joined in partnership with another architect from Mason's office, Norman Swain Atchison in 1908 and remained in partnership with him through 1912 during that time, the number of buildings constructed in Detroit more than doubled, and Harley and Acheson contributed to that count with the administration building and exhibition building at the State Fairgrounds and here, The Henry Clay hotel at 1538 Center Street, built actually in 1913 both the CPA building and the Henry Clay hotel are two of the most distinctive flat iron buildings in Detroit. In 1912 their partnership was dissolved and Harley became the sole owner of Alvin e Harley architects 1912 to 1932 Harley successful. Harley's success paralleled that of the growing automobile industry. His residential business thrived. He designed residences in the in the Detroit prestigious neighborhoods of Indian village and Palmer woods and fashionable suburban communities such as gross point green built hills. He continued to do commercial and industrial work as well as he served, and also served in 1921 as president of the Michigan Society of architects, now the American Institute of Architects of Michigan. The Wall Street crash of 1929 took a major toll on architects nationwide as the depression set in, Harley set up mausoleum and cemetery work before merging partnerships with Harold slate Ellington in 1933 forming Harley and Ellington architects and engineers. In 1943 they merged with Charles E day, becoming Harley Ellington and day from 1941 to 1960
after World War Two, they
designed projects for the federal and municipal governments, including the Detroit civic Center's Veterans Memorial Building and Detroit city county building, today known as the Pullman, a young municipal center Where we are meeting today. Alvin e Harley, the original originator of the firm, retired in 1963 and died in 1986 at age 92 after many other reiterations, Harley, same remains with all the successor success for successor firms through Harley, Ellis Deborah, which in 2015 became H Ed and today has offices nationwide. The draft preliminary report gives an in depth description of the CPA building. It is six stories with a flat roof, including a partially seen penthouse, and is of steel and concrete construction with white Bedford limestone and granite facade. The plan of the building is in the shape of an irregular Pentagon with two acute angles forming the single bay entrance facade at the southeast corner. The two other primary facades along Michigan Avenue and 14th street splay out from the corner Bay. The Michigan Avenue facade has three bays, and the 14th street facade has six bays, with the primary entrance to the upper floors in the fourth bay of that facade, both street entrances are heavily embellished two mid century neon CPA building signs were installed over the original incised panels with the Simpa Ning over both the southeast corner and 14th street entrances, a large square clock. Its installation date unknown, is beneath the southeast corner entrance lintel, although historic photos showed originally there was a round clock at this location
in wide plasters rising
up six stories to find the building's bays. Each Bay on the two primary facades features sedimentally arched, three parts subdivided transom windows above large displayed Windows resting on a low apron bulkhead. All of these windows are currently boarded above the ground floor. Each Bay per floor contains two individual double hung sash windows with spandrels below, in which a rosette is centered. All second floor windows, with the exception of the west facade, have dental window sills. The facades are capped by a dental cornice on three of its facades. On the 14th street facade, the entrance to the upper floor offices in the fourth Bay is a duplicate of the front entrance, although there is no clock in the transom over the doors, There is, however, a carving of a locomotive, as was seen on an earlier slide the rear or North elevation along the Fisher service drive has similar materials and detailing of its upper stories with Windows mimicking the single bay entrance facade at the southeast corner. Its non decorative back door and equal height side window are boarded. The image to the right shows this entrance and window in 2017 the west elevation is faced with brick and lax architectural embellishments as it was historically, partially covered by a smaller scaled building within the Michigan Avenue commercial block that we saw in the historic image earlier. Seen above this facade is a rooftop penthouse structure, and the West beside contains 14 non decorative metal framed two over two upper story windows. At the time of this report, 13 of the 14 windows were boarded. You can see just one window that is unboarded. But again, in the 2017 image to the right, you'll see how they appeared prior to the board up a white brick based rectangular plan structure containing a drive up window, now boarded also and a drive through banking canopy with column supports was attached to the building in 1977 the drive through structure canopy and Western lot are non contributing to the proposed Historic District. The proposed CPA building historic districts. Period of significance extends from its year of construction, 1924 to 1959 when the adjoining two story building at 2216 Michigan Avenue was raised for a parking lot and drive up window, altering the CPA buildings functional relationship to its site, as previously noted, a 1977 drive through banking structure with canopy was attached at this side of the building. It is a non contributing feature, while the report notes a published description of the interior lobby. The interior is not subject to the proposed Historic District, so board members. What is before you is a request for approval of the draft preliminary report with any recommended changes. Again, to summarize the proposed CPA building. Historic District consists of a single contributing building resource, the lot to the west of the building addressed as 2216 Michigan Avenue and the attached drive through structure canopy are non contributing to the district, while the boundaries do encircle this side West lot. Also, I want to acknowledge Deborah Goldstein, the original researcher and author of this report, as well as Rebecca Savage, who did additional research and writing. I also want to acknowledge Dan Austin and Benjamin gravel, who provided some historic photos for us in this presentation. Thank you for your consideration.
Thank you very much. Detailed and concise report. Does any of the board members have comment
through the chair
for the historical district? How come it's in this, this particular rectangle, rectangular shape? Because I thought that there were, you know, the buildings on the side there.
But would that not be included in the
Yeah, so the bound through here. Do
you see the heavy black line, right? So that is taking in that side West lot, which does sort of fill in the square that I think you're referring to. And the actual lot parcel that is the CPA building itself, is a triangular shaped, or sort of, yeah, an angular shaped parcel.
Okay, so how can we boundary comes into the streets?
We always, that is always the way we draw our boundaries is on the center line of the street. Yes,
if I may, we go to the center line street so we have control over Street and furniture, light poles, bus stops, that kind of stuff, protecting the perimeter of the building as they
chair just a quick question, so would the neon signs be contributing in the clock not be contributing based on
not knowing the date on the clock?
So this is something, I think it would be good for discussion here at the table
as a staff
staff discussion is that the CPA building signs are pretty uniquely now associated with this building. I think a lot of people look at those two mid century neon signs and recognize them and and they and we know pretty certainly that they're probably from the 50s. The square clock could be as late as the 70s, if the board agrees. I think we could note that it's not a contributing feature, as I noted, as you saw in an earlier image, the original clock was around lock. So we certainly would not want to burden the owner or future owner with having to retain this clock when I think it's probably not from the period of significance. Anyway,
Madam Chair, yes. So
when it comes to contributing and not contributing pieces of buildings, kind of a technical, just a technical, what do you call it? But um, generally contributing as like a technical meaning, you know, if you look at the state guide in the National Register as like a standalone resource, so it's a part of the building, I would suggest not calling it contributing or not activity. Call it significant or non significant, historic or non historic, whatever, whatever term works. But just like, like a clock should not be contributing your activity that worked through your the whole building,
okay.
Okay, that's your recommendation, that
that is important
just to say those words exactly. I mean, we'll leave it up to the staff. Yeah, that's,
that's my suggestion. Any other staff,
any other
ongoing don't use that right, not historic.
He's saying Not much,
not in fact, right
question about photograph on the top page 19, I guess it's the East elevation. Yeah, right hand photo shows the squared off brushes and compared was originally, was good arches. What happened?
So the photo on the left is from 2017
and
the arched windows, as far as we know that mean the arched tops of windows are still there, yeah. What you're seeing in that image on the right is still part of the board. Up right,
you can see them slightly in the lower as you can see the little
bit of an arching Yeah,
yeah, yeah. Excuse.
For
chair. How come the interior isn't
so you know this,
this board really has not designated many interiors, other than some really significant ones, like churches,
schools, as Denise has just pointed out,
lobbies. You know, lobbies are tricky because, of course, we want to maintain the opportunity for this owner to or future owner to rehabilitate, reuse this building. We don't know what the condition of this lobby is right now, either. So we don't have access to the interior. And then, of course, because it's board up, it's hard to get in right now to the interior. If the owner were in the future to want to use historic tax credits, they would have to be looking at the interior with the State Historic
Preservation Office under there,
in general,
right from the start, the limited Interior decorate interior designation interiors that were freely open so it, and unfortunately, as our next subject shows. So we can't say that this is generally overhead, but therefore the significance to the public is not what the interior of for example, if we ever got the chance building lobby and banking, sadly, real happy to see us design that building, but It's just not the same level of public opinions, and we never did it
through the chair. The front door is open for a very long time. A long time ago, there's not send out. It's also definitely been remodeled. Post, I would say, 19 years
after the end of the year
through the sheriff, there was one member of the public did have a comment of regarding the clock. And their comment was, why dismantle it should stay attached the clock. We have other value evaluation
through the Chair, if I may, we're not saying that we're removing the clock, or just saying whether or not the clock is right, contributing or we're not using contributing, but significant feature of the building. So just so that the person online will understand that that is not what was being discussed. And we're and by no means are we suggesting that. So just just to address that, and if I may, Madam Chair, just to kind of, kind of piggyback a little bit of whatever board member Eric said, is that I also have been in the building when I was living and it was nothing was there then, I mean that the interest in Philadelphia, and I was going to defer to you as well, you know, this has not been that long when I was in the buildings before it was boarded up and just, you know, major alterations. There's just nothing, you know, to board
members. Yes,
I think once the banking that drives it, there was a lot of just things that have been moved and taken out. So it's just, it's just as open space at this point. It's an elevator, and not even the elevator is, yeah,
thank you. Thank you. So now we have come in, yes,
yeah. I mean, they just go off that, go off that comment as well. It's very typical. So Detroit, especially, of course, where everything is nothing is straight angles and everything is curved that the storefronts on the first floor historically designating that as can't alter that. It's so limited to what physically could go into that space that would be profitable, and 80% of the empty storefronts in court counter, because there's spaces that have been updated where there's still the footprint, and you can only have a shoe store because nothing else can be put into it. So there is the aspect of preserving the interior, but at the point where it's a detriment to anything that could occupy this food like
I just did, we know what the new owner's kitchen plans.
So through the chair, this is not really a new owner, the current owner, Robert Salton, who, like I said, unfortunately, sat with us today. He's owned the building for probably almost a decade, and at this point, he has the not only this building that we're evaluating today listed for sale, but it's part of the sale offer for the entire block. So if you drive down Michigan Avenue today, you'll see that there's a Collier's real estate sign posted on the western end of the block, and all of that land is vacant, so that is now currently for sale. If you look at the map, from 14th street all the way over to 15th, is one parcel. It's multiple parcels, but it's being offered
on sale. One offer the
chair. You might not know the answer, this is it the same owner? Because there was a demolition scare, I don't know, five or six years ago, the same person? Yeah, yeah.
So that was in 2017
as you saw from some of the earlier 2017 images, the building department, building the safety department, at that time, was really pushing for something to be done to the building, and so at one point, as the building department often will do, they'll say, rehab or demolish. So he was moving forward with the Demolition Plan, at which point there was a lot of outcry. And so then there was the original report for an interim designation that this office prepared. And that's why I acknowledge Deborah Goldstein as the original author of this report in 2017 because we were just able to take that report and update it that had gone all the way through the process of being signed off by the law department. The city council had never finalized it, but at that time, Robert Salton Oid the decision to do the board up, and it's been in that condition ever since. And of course, he's tried to sell it before. Now he's repositioning it sort of in this different way from a sales perspective,
and to go back to another comment of just about the CPA, as you're referring to, a mid century sign. I know we had discussed a little bit about this, because just finding exactly when that went up, because that many photographs kind of pinpoint that. But just my background as well, and just documenting typography and work done in my historic typography background I have, I do believe it's older than the 50s, just the noting of it's a very fine serif font that reflects the late 30s, early 40s. So just give you a sense of it has that, but it definitely has more of an ornate aspect that you see in the 30s and 40s typography, but also the nature of the wrapping of the site, as well as or crafted as an orange less as massive producer. Can we possibly put that whole report that we have a typography expert who stated that it is expert opinion that we think the setting is from very much but exactly, look at the construction of the house birds around that would not be something that would be done. There's less common aspect,
okay. Thank you,
Manager. There are two more public comments. Giles sinner says, As a fork town resident, I'd love to see the exterior of this building historically restored and the interior activated. And then we also have Rhonda Sanders Adams, who says historical repurposing and legitimate retail can work like other historical assets
any other county.
Yeah. One more comment about mm chip on historic district commission review. So the historic district Commission has not yet reviewed this. They will be doing that at the April 9 meeting, and for the benefit of our ad hoc board member guests, the historic district has a role to doing an advisory review and making advisory comments. The Board does not require to file them. But the commission does do advisory review, so they doing at the April 9 meeting, and without having you know, done that review, one thing I can say almost for sure, it just because this is consistent with how we, the Department of the commission, have felt about previous districts in cases where there is a non contributing resource on the periphery. Our preference is always that they just be excluded from the district. So again, board doesn't have to follow advisory just our two cents.
Tim, just for clarification, do you mean putting the board the the boundary of the district, flat at the footprint of the building, yeah,
and just chopping off that carport, okay? Area
used to be,
yeah. We will take that way to get that report to the chair and then the Google address it again with the board and staff, will talk a little bit about it, you know.
And then just, you
know, just so that I could be here, you know.
Can I just say for clarification again, just to understand, but I would just say, since we have the map, is that, Tim, what you're referring to is to take out the non contributing West lot entirely.
Yeah, just generally, any Historic District, that's going to be our department's opinion that just those vacant lots in the periphery district, rather than
having the ability to review new construction, if that may be attached to the building, yeah,
through chair, that's not how the National Register operates. They don't take a single building designation in which part of buildings outside I
Anti A
were that to be the case, then it would just be a single one contributing research. You wouldn't have a non contributing lot on the outside in the National Register documentation. I can't recall a number of the number of the bulletins. But there's three different ones that have this guidance, that virtual areas, that are Latin, historical, I'm sure when we do our you know, April 9, like I said, presentation, we board,
I would suggest within that case, what we should do is use the language we use for the clock. Don't say it's not contributing. Say it's not historic. Yeah,
I believe it in being the boundaries that where they are. I
have a question just have a comment
once we go through all this and redirect staff to this report, if this property settles before we can have our public meetings,
the topic to move forward on this property
owner does not own the designation. So
this is a comment,
right? He doesn't have
correct
Thank you.
I move the acceptance of the
preliminary report change your ability. Thank second, I
just wanted to stress again, this is with the court town, and the aspect of the historic court town being a loyalty class neighborhood, and very much where immigrants came in. And just the crucial aspect that it is the fact that it was a first in the nation to ensure lost wages for railroad workers is such a strong, strong story to the angering of crossing from the train station itself, everything that was been restored, and the energy behind that is because the people that worked in that were able to keep their jobs and live in the house of the courtyard because of a business like that. And I think it's such a strong story that will resonate beyond just the debutable aspect of the building. So I just wanted to express that thank
you for that. So now we have been moved in second to approve the draft school engineering report. All those in favor.
Chair, if I made the Air Hawk, you do have a vote? So you need so you need to vote. Yeah.
Moving on
to item seven, reports, Planning and Development Department, Office of historic presentation
industry. Hdc, oh, I'm sorry.
I do have a good amount of updates to give. First of all, I have no update on the historic district commission because our March meeting had to get postponed. The March meeting is now postponed March 25 so nothing happened there. I do have a staffing update. First of all, I want to introduce DVDs. New historic planner. Do you want to say hi? My
name is Lee St James. I'm a planner too. As a staff in the front,
so I have two more staffing updates. One is that I'm leaving and
this is your last day. Yeah, your last day, so my position will also be filled, so there will be another letter to me to be hired, so your next month or so, as soon as possible. Basically,
Doctor says, I'm not gonna change this, but
I'm getting over the food. Months. Another
staffing update, because we are hiring a planner one, I do not know i The higher the opening. It's closed. We're currently interviewing. But between lease the planner one, we're currently interviewing and my replacement, we will have seven people at PBD who are, in one way or other, working with historic preservation and the historic district. So that's going to be, I think, our largest analyst ever, which is warranted, because we have a whole lot of building activity and forcing activity exposure right now. So soon will be seven people with me bond. Somebody else will be taking over the role of attending these meetings. We're going to keep attending this meeting. They're very important to us. Might be least, might be my boss, Garrett. Our boss. Garrett might be somebody else, but we'll be at the meetings. And then the only other sort of related update, historic preservation plan, we had made the call to just put the planning process on hold one month. That's why we canceled the meeting we had just while we figured out who the new project manager said the I was project manager, because I'm leaving that's going to transition to somebody else. So no updates for that. We're just out of one month total, and in hopefully a month now, whoever comes and sits at the standard I'm going to miss the board too, honestly, so you might see me at some point.
Yeah, thank you very much. So where are you going?
I'm working. I'm moving to Ohio, moving to Cincinnati, and I'm going to be working for a company that's private consultant in historic preservation, honestly, mostly archeology, which is not my area, so I'm not going to be doing archeology the buildings.
Next item under Reports historic designation advisory board demolition, and
it's waiting for the slide
to move forward, and then one of the buildings that we have talked about in the path that Stanislaus church. So through the Chair, I'm going to let Eric speak to it, because he's been monitoring this. If you have an update, because I know you do have an update on sale. Yeah,
the chair, I don't have a ton of information that you mentioned that there could be a sale going through, and they have done, there were lots of open windows, and now there's only a couple of the windows, so that's pretty good, and there's been lots of cars, so really know what that means, but they have some work to secure it. It doesn't look great, but there's less open windows.
If you knew what the listing price was,
600,000
i and that includes the now vacant lot behind it, where the rectory was before, and it was, I think it was a million, and then they dropped it down, I think it's five, nine,
something like that. Does not include the schools.
No schools are still partly owned by a
church Vegas. Very thank you
very much for that.
Really. Yes, Lisa and I want to kind of check, can you guys on this one? Because we both have been working on it. And I just wanted to start by reporting out that we did get an official request from Councilwoman naval Calloway to basically look at the criteria as to whether or not the Renaissance Center was eligible for local designation and which it was. We did report that back out through our legislative policy division, through the red which is our the attorney portions of of
our agency.
Um, the council did have a vote as to whether or not they wanted to move. She also asked for a designation, you know, to move forward with a possible designation of the Renaissance Center as a local designation. And the council did take a vote. Um, there was a lot of discussion prior to that discussion, there was a meeting held at the planning economic standing committee, in which owners from representatives from the city's law department, the mayor's office, as well as our staff, folks from Help and the LPD larger staff representatives from the village bedrock, as well as GM, not I'm sorry, I get the two billionaires, you know, forgive me, excuse me. Yeah, bedrock as well as from the G from GM, and they argued against the proposed designation. The public has spoken out, and we have heard from you know, during public comment, they were in favor of the designation. They were a couple of people who spoke out in opposition to it. When they came before the city council's formal session with full body, they voted eight to one to not to move forward with the local designation. The study for local designation. The one vote was member Callaway, who had initially requested the local designation, and the eight other members voted to not to move forward. So things that kind of came out of that, that does that meeting in a formal session, which are quite interesting, things like reasons for not designating I'm just done, and other things such as, you've got lost in the building, what you know when it was first built,
which I thought interesting.
And you know that it would, that it was never, it was meant to be part of the city, yeah, you know, was filled as a fortress. And therefore, you know, why are we? You know, it's not historic. Anyway, they're only removing two, two of the towers, so there will be remaining three, then it would open up the river front to the public. So those were the kinds of things that were discussed.
And
so I think those are some of the rational reasons that were given as to why they were in opposition to the designation we did get. And I'm going to let this speak to all of the corresponding of the letters and the email, I mean the emails, but the press releases and things of that nature that came out, who was contacted, who kind of came to and sent in letters for asking for the designation. My understanding is, is that recently, there are more people who have been talking in favor, and why are we even doing the demolition of the Renaissance Center? And, you know, they see it as a legacy building. What could be a legacy building? They're talking about the cost of rehab has been a has been the big issue. And they don't want to follow a building. And that's this part, you know, essential business Detroit is part of downtown Detroit. You know, we did in the train station, and we got lucky, but they just don't see the need for it. And I think I'm going to stop there, and then if I have some additional input, I think we know it just
through the chair we included in your packet, yeah, so you were aware of what advocacy took place before these city council meetings, preservation Detroit, Michigan Historic Preservation network stepped up and produced a letter that we have in the packet with preservation for its logo. But multiple organizations signed on to the letter, encouraging for the designation study to be allowed to move forwards, that our staff would then take it on. And as you all know, that's a not an overnight process. It takes a lot of while. But Councilwoman callaways position was she just wanted the study. She just wanted to be able to have us do the work and still give Council the opportunity to vote on it later, but they voted to not even have us, by resolution, do the studies. So at this point, it's really out of the hands of our office. Hopefully our colleagues within legislative policy division this and the planning commission side will have the opportunity to do more review of the project as it relates to the PD zoning of the site and other types of changes that would probably be
proposed and needing city.
So that's where we are with the Renaissance Center. More to come. Because this is, like I said, this is an ongoing issue and concern. And the public has not finished speaking out, but there has been enough you would cry I'm going to have to say about this building, and possible, even the proposed demolition of just two talent, you know. So you know, we will continue to send you articles as they become available. I don't know the phrase just, but there's another Gallagher paper in favor of the demo. Yeah, the general. So we will share those with you as they come on and, you know, as we get them and update you. And if we need to have a call to ask me what you know we will make the phone calls. So I think, I think that's it. Then was this question board from anybody that
city
council, city council said no, but you're basically saying there's a possibly, the possibility the issue can come up.
Well, what where we are now is that with an eight to one vote, it's pretty obvious that the council is not in favor of even us doing the study. As Lisa pointed out, as a result of that the issues of zoning, you know, at this point, we're in a place where we're saying, you know, what can we maybe protect and sell? You know, not through a designation, but just through the planning commission zoning issues. So there may be other aspects in which may be asked to weigh in on, you know, or to come in on from a historical perspective. But other than that, no, I think for antenna is looking like it's
pretty specific
here when I talk to folks, certainly,
there's a lot prone. This is one.
Yeah, I think you're right.
Next item, certified local government cod grant for both projects.
Manager, I'll go really quick on some grant updates. The Latinx project is moving along. We're in the final stretch. We're working on the National Register nomination. Ashlynn, who wasn't able to join, is going to be helping with some engagement in the community. Ian has been out on the street who's in the beautiful mother the other day is taking photos for the nomination. So we're we're working quite closely with the State Historic Preservation Office to move this nomination forward. Our aggressive goal is to have it at the may review board meeting. If that doesn't work out, it'll be at the September review board meeting, and that will put us in time to complete it within the the requirements of the grant, the excuse me, timeline with the Arab and Chaldean this site, we're starting to wind down with the consultants, where we received some deliverables this past week, which we've been reviewing and sending to to the National Park Service. I as an aside, I've been in frequent communication with the National Park Service. We have a specific person that we are assigned, obviously, with things that are going on at a federal level, we're doing all that we can so we're making sure that we've gotten our grant deadlines extended on many of our grants, just as you know, to be ahead of the curve or being again, like I said, constant communication with them. So as of right now, we've been told we're in good standing. We're moving forward, and you've not had any, any pausing from from our particular programs. So with the Arabic housing in we will be finishing up in the coming months the consultant work, which is again the survey report. There's a multi property documentation form, or npdf, and then inventory forms or individual surveys of specific buildings. The next stage that staff will take over is the National Register nomination. So we are calling in. We think we have an idea, so we'll have an update at the next meeting, but identifying the sites that we'll be nominating, and so that will be the baton to the next part of this aspect of the project. So that is also moving along. I think we've mentioned this in the past. We are keeping it to essentially a single resource, or very close to a single resource. The Latinx district is about 150 buildings, and it's taken a lot of staff time. So we're doing a little bit of a smaller project for the next national arrest nomination, and then the other grant project here is the Women's History context. We did have an I believe, at the January meeting, I mentioned this. We do have a consultant, which is Clint Evans. We are behind the scenes. There's been a slight delay because there's an issue with the language in a contract, so we're working to get that fixed. So I'm really hoping by next month, we'll be able to, like, kick off and start project work with this particular one. So I know there's a lot of interest from board members. We're not ignoring you or not inviting you. It's just been a bit of a pause because of this technical issue. So like I said, we're really trying to have that result in the next few weeks, hopefully. So we will be sure to send out an invite when you do have initial, you know, paid off meeting and engagement meetings. And then the last grant that I'll speak to is our certified local government grant, again, the slide digitization project, which for Super I am very, very, very excited on board for this. I think I've been talking about it for forever. So he's been, he hit the ground running. He's currently going through and inventorying all of our slide film, understanding. A lot of it was fairly organized, but some of it, you know, has moved around through the years, or there's an odd, you know, box of small box of slides that so he's going around and identifying them, getting an idea of how many we have, figuring out which local historic districts have slides, which ones are missing. So we're just trying to understand what we have before we go even further of describing them and in more detail. So that is is moving along beautifully, and again, very excited to have Andrew, Andrew on board. Yeah. So if there's any questions about any of the grants, I'm more than happy to speak to
that. So in terms of Latinx, either made or you said, September, yeah,
the, I wasn't sure I heard Yeah. So our very optimistic goal is the May meeting. And for context, National Register nominations, they must go before this the State Historic Preservation Review Board, and that happens three times in the year. It's typically January, May and September. So we do have to be pretty conscious in our timeline, since they don't need that often. So we'd love to be at the main one, but just realistically with how big the district is, and we will have to address any comments that the State Historic Preservation Office has that they might
be the second company.
Thank you very much. Next item on the agenda is one second in the street.
So as of right now, we have eight rollovers from last year, and we have one new applicant this year, and it's the former Councilwoman Jordan Watson. So we have 12 inquiries, though, for this year. We're going to have quite a few to look over this year. So right now, we just have one new applicant for the secondary
streets that's been my ability
to sign late.
That's my once life
item number eight, review of correspondence. Yes
to the chair. If I'm managers, we're just quick couple of quick updates. I just want to let the board know that Rebecca said, which is no longer with us. She had decided to to go out on her own, and she's doing consulting, so she we will probably be, as she always says, you know, Rebecca continues to come to our meetings, and we will be seeing her, but just to you know, let the board knows that she has decided to to go out on her own and do consulting, and she started on consulting for so that's where we are with that she we did the opposite. Take her out to say thank you, and again to Mr. Jackson. That's another person that we have to add to our Mr. People to thank and to honor
and our next activity.
The other thing is that I just wanted to share is that we have them. The staff did go out. And if you recall when we moved, some of you maybe, but when we moved from our original offices on the second floor, down the hall to a smallest place, we did have an archival room in which we had and Andrew is like, I said, Andrew, how are you feeling? What's you know, it's where all of our files and things were housed. Initially, many of those things were taken to a warehouse on Grandy Street by the city. And so we thought, I mean little boxes of things. They were moved those boxes, then they stayed there. Well, they had a plug Randy the rooftop problems. They finally moved the boxes to the parking lot of the police station in downtown Detroit, and asked it to come over and go through them. Well, we went over there, and it was probably, it was very cold, and, you know, no, and I'm like, we can't do this in this code. So Lisa and myself and kind of going through and now, so they now have moved those boxes. They've been nice enough to move the boxes from the parking lot on the floor to Focus HOPE right there on Oakland Boulevard. So Monday of this week, we did go now Tuesday this week, excuse me, we did go and spend a good amount of time over there, about two and a half hours going through the boxes and just kind of identifying what could be tossed, what can be brought back, what needs to be stored. To board member Wharton. We do have some slides. I think they may be some vacations. So we got some things for you that we've discovered or uncovered, so and we are incorporating those files and those boxes of files back into our system, some of the things that we didn't that we don't need, are being discovered. We did look to see what we can go ahead and shred and destroy and throw away. So we are trying to, kind of trying to, you know, clean up and narrow down and focus down, and just kind of kind of go into those, those files that were unnecessary, and get rid of the bathroom, unnecessary. So those are the two big things that are going on. Think staff there anything
else? Oh, thank you. Avenue fashion.
We also have gotten requests for consideration looking at the avenue fashion, whether it live and I we know, as you well, know we did designate and Tim Busman was responsible for doing the designation, just you just want some Excuse me. Can I fake today a baker's keyboard lounge as to for a local designation, and now they're looking to do much more of the avenue. So we looked at it a while ago, and many of the business and owners were not in favor because of the regulatory component attached to a local designation. They have since changed their minds. Um, the Avenue has seems to, you know, it's coming alive again. And I think that they are looking to say, well, we want, you know, we will want to consider this. So we are going to be meeting with their business association, as well as some of the people, the residents in the adjacent districts, to talk about a possible designation of the avenue of fashion. I will be reaching out to a couple of board members should ask if they can come along and thank you, and not only for the avenue fashion, we you have a date, and that's for June 7 from farmer woods. And again, I will be reaching out to board members to ask them that they are reconsidering whether or not they want a local designation of farmer wood. So this is on the National Register and board member wording is recall, you know, I think it was the very first project I worked on, when I first started working here, was that the caller, if I'm always going to click regardless, so, you know. So they are revisiting, so it's circling back around after all those years to maybe consider a local designation for farmer woods. Those are all the correspondence that we have this time. Madam Chair, thank you. Regarding
Rebecca savages decision
one, I just wanted to
comment that I thought she did wonderful work for the years that I've known for being a staff member here I bought her the fort has been very well researched and clear, and then she was just a very nice person. So the the question is, will there be search to replace?
Yes, there is we have. Now. I'm wearing the budget right now, so I am dealing with budget and moving, placing a staff person on
for purposes, for
position, it may not be just you know, the same level for the you
know, another staff person
to work
in that slide absolutely
and thank you for saying that. And like I said, we will have an opportunity to thank her in person, I think, with the board and her and from a board member
fashion designation go well,
that's the question to the Chair, if I may, to board member warden. That's the question I spent yesterday, not yesterday the day before yesterday. Tuesday, yeah, we were, I spent Tuesday, and then, yeah, it was a nice day to walkie that strip, trying to because they had a very okay, they just want to go one, two blocks in. And I'm like, No, that's not even the history of the Ateneo fashion. So some people want to ball go down to six mile. Does it go to Six Mile? I know, you know, does it go to to, you know, to cut off right there you would be mercy. So that's really what I'm struggling. So if you have any suggestions, board member word you know, please reach out to, you know, contact me and let me know. But I will be going back out there to take individual photos as well. But I spent some time taking some photos, just to get a cursory understanding of and walking the avenue of fashion as it was to find, you know, because historically, it had two different boundaries. That's what I'm finding out after doing some preliminary research. But so that's where we are, and it will be both sides of the street, and then, you know, cutting up at the because it won't take any of the residential
into consideration for this proposed designation
for those online, if anyone would like to make a public comment, can you please raise your hand and I will
skip member reports.
Some of you may have read reasons just in the last couple of study that facilitate of st Anne has raised some of $30 million yes, for the restoration, not just the church parish hall,
in a very
innovative workforce structure that takes the buildings away from the ownership of the Diocese, which is extremely first order of business will be A new slave growth on the church and then we'll go from there. I've known about this for some time, because the pastor, or Raptor, actually Basilica, is my senior, Chuck to Sankey, who, in the mid 80s spent a summer in most public Trinity, which Ray is now also pastor,
as a seminarian doing
social work at the same time that I was directing the rehabilitation and redacration.
So we've known each other for a long time,
and this is culmination of a long period of work, the money is mostly coming from the policy company, who has complained of our nationwide home builders. So it's a very good industry. Means that St Anne's secure for a very kind of want
to say that this should be a case study about monsieur. This is efforts of core town, fully Trinity, and the efforts of this, we've been seeing this progression, and the amount of community involvement and understanding and transparency has been spectacular. And this really has the trust of the community, which is very, very powerful.
You want to do casting
through the chair. And, you know, I wanted to make sure that you should have gotten it here at each of you, in front of you. And I wanted to recognize and submit, you know, because and she was going to do it to to inform you that our very own chair, Dr Carolyn Carter, has been appointed to the book, the Commission for the Michigan freedom trails the commission. And I think immediately so your position starts, so there is information. And so we would like to congratulate Dr Carolyn Carter for being appointed by the governor to the one of the news commissioners for the Michigan Freedom Trail commission. And I'll tell you her work with the Underground Railroad stuff that we have done. I mean, we've seen it as part of the local designation for WC 3d as in the Michigan central I know that we all have and shared on that, that history with her, and then have the hard work and just wonderful writing that she's done on that, and also that she is working on Identifying and getting recognition for other sites along the Detroit River that were part of our School of the Underground Railroad movement. So congratulations on your appointment. And also, if there's a few texts turn the page, there is diverse and these are women. This is women History Month, and either 40 women shattering glass ceilings across higher education. And guess who's one of them? Again, back to Carol. Encounter has been being recognized as one of those, those visionary women who are shattering glass Cleveland, ZDE and higher education. So I wanted to share this information with everybody. I don't know if she wants to say a few words, but congratulations on both of these honorees, and just you know, we're glad, like I said, we're glad to have you as part of our board, and not only as the chair of our board. So Dr Adams, you would like to say
just you know, when I was asked to do this article, women's history, non specifically, maximally, said something diverse. And I think it's just so important in this space we're in today that our voices are lifted up, specifically our women's voices in leadership. And so I jumped at the chance students. I got my doctorate at Kansas State University. So they were they contacted me about so I will continue to publish in specifically in the history historical archive space, because I think it's important, as you do for this field COVID, and as a former federal government employee, it's important. So
thank you. Thank
public comment.
There were double check. No hands raised, so no
All right, 533 and
before we adjourn, what we did not? I'm glad we did not. Did we vote on the draft colony report for the CPA? Did we direct staff to set the public hearing? No, we did not. Thank you.
So let's undo that adjournment Yes, and now to vote on staff to direct that report when they draft
No, just the preliminary report. I'm sorry
for the conductors for that Protective Association, CPA bill just set to set the date for the public hearing, I'm sorry to set the date for the public
hearing
their motions. Second, it's been moved the second all those in favor. Aye. Thank you
again, just so that the ad hoc knows this going to be 60 days. It has to be a 60 day based upon the regulatory so it will not be next month, but the following month that we will have a partner. And if we can find a site, and we need to, Lisa will work with you in the community, yeah, that would be fantastic. Okay, thank you. Thank you.
