Michigan Historic Preservation Network

Michigan Historic Preservation Network
Name	Michigan Historic Preservation Network
Formation	1980s
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan
Region served	Michigan
Leader title	Executive Director

Michigan Historic Preservation Network is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to the identification, protection, and promotion of historic places in Michigan including urban centers such as Detroit, Michigan and smaller communities like Marquette, Michigan and Mackinac Island. The organization collaborates with federal, state, and local entities including the National Park Service, the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office, and municipal historic districts to steward properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated under state preservation laws such as the Michigan Historical Preservation Tax Credit. It acts as an intermediary among preservationists, elected officials from bodies such as the Michigan Legislature and the United States Congress, and civic groups including the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

History

The Network traces roots to preservation movements in Michigan that reacted to urban renewal projects exemplified by demolition in Detroit, Michigan and interventions like the rehabilitation of Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. Early influences included national preservation milestones such as the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the outreach of the National Park Service. Founding efforts connected activists from the Preservation League of New York State, the Historic Charleston Foundation, and local actors in communities like Ann Arbor, Michigan and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over decades the organization intersected with programs such as the Historic American Buildings Survey and worked alongside institutions like the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution on documentation projects.

Mission and Programs

The Network’s mission emphasizes stewardship of built heritage from indigenous sites associated with the Anishinaabe to industrial landmarks like the Ford River Rouge Complex and cultural venues such as Fox Theatre (Detroit). Core programs include survey and documentation modeled after practices used by the Historic American Engineering Record, grant administration akin to the National Trust Preservation Fund, and technical assistance mirroring services from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Collaborative initiatives engage archeologists from the Michigan Archaeological Society, architects from the American Institute of Architects, and planners affiliated with the American Planning Association.

Advocacy and Policy Impact

The Network has lobbied on legislation affecting preservation incentives including state tax credits influenced by models from the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program and regulatory processes under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Its advocacy has intersected with campaigns to protect landscapes such as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and urban fabric in places like Flint, Michigan and Saginaw, Michigan. The organization participates in policy coalitions with groups like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Michigan Environmental Council and has provided testimony before bodies including the Michigan Senate and federal committees in the United States Congress.

Preservation Projects and Grants

The Network administers grant programs and technical assistance to rehabilitate resources ranging from vernacular homes in Ypsilanti, Michigan to commercial corridors in Kalamazoo, Michigan and industrial sites like the Model T Ford Factory (Highland Park) area. It has facilitated National Register nominations for properties such as lighthouses on the Great Lakes and historic districts in Ludington, Michigan and Holland, Michigan. Funding sources mirror practices used by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and community development entities like the Kresge Foundation.

Education and Public Outreach

Educational outreach includes workshops for local commissioners informed by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, walking tours in districts like Brush Park (Detroit) and Old Town Lansing Historic District, and publications modeled on interpretive programs used at Ellis Island and the Henry Ford Museum. The Network partners with universities such as University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University for internships and research, and collaborates with public media outlets including Michigan Radio and cultural institutions like the Detroit Institute of Arts on public history programs.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The Network operates with a board of directors composed of preservation professionals, historians, and community leaders drawn from organizations such as the American Institute for Conservation, the National Coalition for Preservation, and municipal preservation commissions across Michigan. Funding derives from membership dues, philanthropic grants from foundations like the Kresge Foundation and the Graham Foundation, project contracts with agencies including the National Park Service, and program grants from state sources such as the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Notable Properties and Partnerships

Partnerships have produced preservation outcomes at sites comparable to the rehabilitation approaches used at the Michigan Central Station project in Detroit, Michigan, adaptive reuse projects in Grand Rapids, Michigan like the Van Andel Arena corridor, and conservation of maritime heritage at sites including the SS Edmund Fitzgerald memorial sphere and multiple Great Lakes lighthouses. Collaborative campaigns involved organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Michigan Historic Preservation Office, the Historic American Buildings Survey, and local historical societies in communities including Marquette, Michigan, Petoskey, Michigan, and Holland, Michigan.

Category:Historic preservation in Michigan Category:Non-profit organizations based in Michigan