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NEW CITY HALL LOCATION
Remembering the Past - Preparing for the Future
In May, 2008,
The City Commission gratefully accepted the generous donation of the
historic site referred to as the
"Federal Building" from Dr. Lou Lukenda and Tendercare Corporation
of Michigan. As early as 1978, the City had expressed interest in
purchasing the property, but financial constraints and other
priorities had stalled the advancement of such a plan. Once the
donation was made, the City immediately commenced planning the
renovation of that historic building for use as the new City Hall.
The site, at 209 East Portage Avenue, is located on 3.4 acres
between Portage and Water Streets.
HISTORY:
The Federal Building was built in 1910 by James Knox Taylor in a
style used for many public buildings during that time period. The
building is a three-story Romano-Tuscan building with walls of cut
limestone. The Federal Building and site have been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places since September 9, 1977, as
the site of the Old Fort Brady. It has also been listed on the
State Register of Historic Places since December 14, 1976.
Records indicate that not only was
the original Fort Brady developed on the eastern two-thirds of the
site, the earlier French Fort De Repentigny was on a portion of this
property as well.
The Federal
Building once was home to the US Post Office as well as various
other Federal offices. The building was sold to a private party in
1980 and was subsequently sold to the Tendercare Nursing Home of
Michigan in 1989 and remodeled for use as their Corporate Offices.
The River of History Museum was also located on the first floor of
this building with a lease from Tendercare.
RENOVATION
PROJECT:
After
being presented with the initial design documents, the City
Commission authorized the Engineering Firm (Wilcox Professional
Services), and the Architect (Cornerstone Architects) to proceed
with the final design using healthy, energy efficient "green"
methods of construction. The design that they chose included
relocating the River of History Museum to another building and
renovating the lower level, first, second and third floors for City
offices. The
River of History Museum was relocated to 531 Ashmun Street, in
downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan during 2009.
The City
Commission contracted with DeVere Construction Company for
Construction Management Services; renovations commenced in early
Spring, 2010 with late October, 2010 being targeted for completion.
When completed, the general layout of the building will be:
First Floor: Main Lobby, City Clerk, Finance
Department, Water Billing. Second Floor:
Assessor, Building Department, Engineering. Third Floor:
City Commission Chambers, City Manager, Human Resources, Planning &
Development. Basement: Information Technology,
Storage. Attic: Vacant
The use of this
historic site for City Hall unites the past with the future in a way
that honors the historic nature of the site, while laying the
groundwork for future technological advancements. The undertaking
will culminate in a City Hall facility that will be used and enjoyed
by generations to come; just as this grand old building has been
treasured by the generations of the past. |
