Historic Preservation--Why Re-use Historic Buildings?

Economic Engine
Rehabbing historic buildings creates jobs
Compared with new construction, money spent on restoration circulates longer in the community (since more of the cost is spent on labor and less on materials that may be manufactured elsewhere)
People like to visit charming places with distinctive character – historic buildings draw “heritage tourists” to a community
Rehabilitated historic buildings become tax-paying assets

Downtown Revitalization
Re-use of historic structures brings people downtown
Historic buildings create appealing public space, adding to a sense of community
Successful re-use of historic buildings attracts customers for existing businesses
Re-investment in historic places raises value of surrounding areas

Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable
“The greenest building is the one that’s already built” – re-use of existing buildings takes advantage of the energy and materials that were expended in constructing these buildings in the first place
Avoids adding materials to landfills through demolition and the waste associated with new construction
A heritage building is a renewable resource when it is rehabilitated; it is nothing but landfill when it is razed.

Smart Growth
Dense, mixed-use development creates vibrant downtowns rather than sprawl
Re-use of historic buildings keeps community development on a human scale where residents and visitors alike can feel at home
Encourages walking instead of driving (better for health and the environment)

Community Character and Quality of Life
Historic preservation retains what is unique about a community, providing a tangible link to local history and culture
Historic preservation prevents “generica,” where every place looks like every other place
Historic preservation encourages community pride and sense of place

** Historic preservation is both economic development and community development.**

Adapted from the work of Donovan Rypkema, Principal of PlaceEconomics.com

Chelsea Standard July 29, 2010 ( p. 12 - A)

History Highlighted at Jackson Street Jam
By Kathy Clark
Pick your mantra, This Place Matters, Save These Buildings, Keeping Our Past Present. They all speak to the hopes of many national and state preservation leaders, local citizens and organizations to preserve the historic character of Chelsea in the Jackson Street corridor, by saving the three Longworth Buildings on Jackson Street, and adaptively reusing them.
A celebration and free concert on Friday, August 6th will take place just west of the Chelsea Train Depot, sponsored by Preservation Chelsea. Two Chelsea youth bands will be jamming at the “Jackson Street Jam” to “keep our past present.” Dr. Dwayne and the Bad Boys from Spain and The Poor House bands will be performing jazz and classic rock with a fusion of modern pop music. Jackson Street will be blocked of west of the depot for the evening. A few local leaders and citizens will speak between musical numbers about why these buildings matter, their past, present and future.
Remarkably, an entire complex of buildings representing the history of our community is still present today on Jackson Street. Along with our 1880 train depot, the cement block Chelsea House Livery, Feed and 10 cent Barn; a brick factory building known as the ‘Mack Building’; and the ‘Daniels Buick-Olds Showroom,’ which fronts on Main Street, remain. These three “Longworth buildings,” as they became known, were purchased by the City of Chelsea, Downtown Development Authority in December of 2008. These buildings represent the hub of the economic beginnings of Chelsea and are interconnected in history.
Nineteenth-Century Chelsea grew up around this intersection of a major north-south wagon road (current M-52) and a new Detroit-Chicago railroad line. It became a major shipping point for agriculture and milling products with its freight depot, passenger depot, hotel and livery. Manufacturing was advantageously located here in 1891 with the Glazier-Strong Stove Co. Another factory was built in early 1900 to make bicycles, gadgets and the first Welch automobile prototypes.
Jackson and Main streets remained the economic center of town until better paved roads and then expressways facilitated other transportation networks.
Rapid change over the years altered the look and function of the buildings. Chelsea House Hotel replaced their wooden livery with a concrete block one in 1906. The factory, now known as the 'Mack Building,' saw many owners and adaptive re-use of space-- first retooling for stoves, then auto parts followed by newspaper publishing, hatcheries, warehousing and more. In 1917 it became an auto dealership. The 'Daniels Buick-Olds Showroom' was added in the 1940s.
In 1952, the Longworth family purchased the Livery, and some years later purchased the auto dealership buildings. The buildings were eventually connected and served as home of the family’s metal plating business for 50 years.
These buildings are a significant and unique part of Chelsea’s rich heritage. Quoting a letter to Preservation Chelsea by Janet G. Potter, author of Great American Railway Stations: “. . . Such auxiliary buildings tell the story of a [railroad] station and vastly increase its historical and educational significance. Few places retain them. Chelsea is extraordinary and, in my view, literally unique in retaining not only the first hotel but also the livery. In my research, I uncovered no equivalent situation.”
Jackson Street Jam will take place on Friday, August 6th from 7 to 10 p.m. Posters by local artist John Pappas advertising the event are posted in storefronts throughout the City of Chelsea. Food and beverages will be sold by vendors. All are welcome.

(Further information, contact: Tom Girard, president of The Chelsea Connection LLC at 475-3632, Michelle McClellan, president of Preservation Chelsea at 475-7565, or Jan Bernath at 475-5753) http://thechelseaconnection.blogspot.com/


Longworth Site Timeline
Dec. 2008 – DDA purchases former Longworth buildings.
April 2009 - DDA proposes demolition of Livery and Daniels showroom addition.
Summer 2009 – Save The Livery Coalition collects hundreds of signatures in support of adaptive reuse of the complex.
Jan. 2010 – DDA issues Request For Proposal for redevelopment of the site. RFP was initially due in February, and later and later extended to July 15, 2010.
Feb. 2010 – Preservation Chelsea/The Chelsea Connection submits proposal for adaptive reuse, with the DDA retaining ownership.
April 2010 and July 2010 – The Chelsea Connection LLC submits proposal to purchase and redevelop through adaptive reuse.

Easy actions you can take to save the Longworth Complex--

KEEP OUR PAST PRESENT
If you are interested in supporting future development by adaptively re-using this important part of the historic downtown and our heritage,Speak and Write Publicly, Contact Personally on Local, County and State levels!


Attend the free Jackson Street Jam on Friday, August 6, from 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. next to our historic buildings! see poster--

LOCAL

Chelsea City Council — elected officials
Speak during the public comment section at the beginning of City Council, meeting August 10 (Tuesday), 7 pm, held in the Board Room of the Washtington Street Education Center. (southern-most building, west side through double doors. Again, public comment is at the beginning of the meeting. Introduce yourself, state your address.

Contact City Council members personally.
Jason Lindauer, Mayor — email: jlindauer@city-chelsea.org — 475-1771
(Make an appointment during office hours: Monday and Friday 3:30pm to 5:00pm.)
Cheri Albertson, Mayor Pro-Tem — email: cheriaa@umich.edu — 475-8313
Ann Feeney — email: annfeeney@aol.com — Home Phone: 475-1493 
Bill Holmberg -- email: holmbergwilliam@sbcglobal.net — 433-9733 
Rod Anderson — email: rod.anderson@sbcglobal.net — 475-5898
Kent Martinez-Kratz — email: kkratz@jpsmail.org
Frank Hammer — email: beemerguy@fastmail.fm — 475-1828 
John Hanifan, City Manager — email: jhanifan@city-chelsea.org — 475-1771 ext 201

Downtown Development Authority (DDA) — appointed officials

Attend the next DDA meeting on August 19 (Thursday) beginnning at 7:30 AM in the basement of City Hall. Speak during public comment at the end of the meeting.

Contact these DDA members by phone or at their place of business.

Jason Lindauer — mayor, City of Chelsea — City Hall, 305 South Main — 475-1771
Michael Jackson — owner of Vogel's and Foster's, 107 South Main — 475-1606
Mark Heydlauff — owner of Heydlauff's Inc, 113 North Main — 475-1221
Paul Frisinger — Realtor with Reinhart Realtor, 800 South Main — 433-2184
Robert Pierce — Dir. Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce, 310 North Main — 475-1145
Jeff Holman — Property Manager, McKinley, Inc., 320 North Main — 734-769-8520, ext. 489
Pattie Schwarz — River Gallery, 120 North Main — 433-0826
Jim Myles — owner of Chelsea House Victorian Inn, 118 East Middle — 433-4663
Rob Winans — owner of Winans Jewelry, 108 South Main — 475-2622
Palmer Morrel-Samuels — EMPA, 111 South Main — 433-0344
Pat Cleary — owner of Cleary's Pub, 113 South — 475 1922
Peter C. Flintoft — attorney, Keusch, Flintoft,& Conlin, PC, 119 South Main —475-8671
John Hanifan — (Staff Liaison) City Manager — City Hall, 305 South Main — 475-1771 ext 201

page 2
The Chelsea Standard
Write a letter to editor to The Chelsea Standard stating your position. Send an electronic and hard copy to:

Daniel Lai at Dlai@heritage.com Editor, Chelsea Standard
Address: Heritage Newspapers, Chelsea Standard, 106 W Michigan Ave, Saline, MI 48176
Phone: 734 429 7380; FAX: 734 429 3621

You must include your address.

Let Chelsea's new marketing director know what you think.
Dania Dunlap-Hurden — email: chelseafirstmarketing@gmail.com — phone: 734-417-1995


COUNTY

Contact Mark Ouimet, County Commissioner
Phone: 734 663 0927

Email: ouimetm@ewashtenaw.org
mco3502@aol.com

STATE

Contact Pam Byrnes, Michigan State Representative

Office Address
Room 251, Capitol Building
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Phone: (517) 373-0828
Fax: (517) 373-5783
Toll-Free
(800) 645-1581
Email
pambyrnes@house.mi.gov
pgbyrnes@gmail.com

Contact Senator Liz Brater, Michigan Senate
Phone: 517 373 2406
Email SenLBrater@senate.michigan.gov

Fact Sheet - Longworth Complex / The Chelsea Connection

Fact Sheet – Longworth Complex / The Chelsea Connection

History and Significance of Site: The “Longworth Complex” refers to a series of three connected structures, adjacent to the intersection of the Michigan Central Railroad tracks and Chelsea’s Main Street. These three structures exemplify the industrial, commercial, and transportation history of our community, our state, and indeed our nation.  The buildings include the circa 1901 home of the Chelsea Manufacturing Company, today known as the “Mack Building”; the Chelsea House Livery Feed and 10 Cent Barn, built in 1906 and used as a horse and auto livery into the 1920s; and the Daniels Motor Sales showroom, dating from the 1940s.   The first hotel in Chelsea, now a farmers’ supply store, is next to the complex, and the Victorian railroad depot adjoins the complex as well. According to Janet Greenstein Potter, nationally-known scholar of railroad stations, Chelsea is extraordinary in that the livery, the first hotel, and the depot all remain in context. The Longworth Complex boasts a range of architectural styles, from rustic, site-cast concrete blocks to Victorian brick industrial to Art Moderne. The Longworth family purchased the Mack Building with the attached car showroom and the Livery in 1952, and the complex served as the home of the family’s chrome plating business for fifty years, through three generations of family ownership. The historical significance of the property has been recognized by a grant from the MotorCities National Heritage Area.

Current Circumstances: The City of Chelsea purchased the complex in 2008, and the buildings are currently vacant. At a community forum held in April 2009, Chelsea citizens voted overwhelming for the only option (of four presented by the DDA) that retained any of the structures. Many comments expressing a desire to save more than just one of the buildings were made by citizens at the Town Hall meeting. Despite this indication of community desire to save the buildings, some DDA members and business leaders prefer demolition. We believe that revitalizing the Longworth site as The Chelsea Connection would bring many benefits to our community. It would retain these tangible reminders of our economic and social history, contributing to a sense of place and unique identity that is important for residents and visitors alike. The location of the site makes it a critical link between the Main Street business district south of the railroad tracks and the Clocktower redevelopment to the north.

Since the summer of 2009 when the buildings were first threatened with demolition, a citizens’ advocacy group has been working to save them. We have spread the word about the historical importance of the buildings, as well as submitted a plan for adaptive reuse in response to a Request for Proposals that was issued by the DDA. The DDA has extended the deadline for responses to July 15, 2010.

What You Can Do: To become involved in the effort to revitalize these buildings as The Chelsea Connection, please contact: Tom Girard at 475-3632, Michelle McClellan at 475-7565, or Jan Bernath t 475-5753. All are welcome – no specialized skills needed. You can also let your elected representatives on City Council and DDA members know that you want to preserve this important legacy of Chelsea’s history, not destroy it. You can also convey to city leaders the need for full transparency and citizen input as they make important decisions that will have permanent consequences affecting us all.

Update Thurday 15 about DDA meeting

Preservation Chelsea--Chelsea Connection Team (PC-CCT) formed a limited liability corporation known as The Chelsea Connection, LLC. At the DDA meeting on April 15, an addendum to the response to the City's RFP was presented. The DDA noted that the deficiencies identified by the original submission of February 18, 2010, had been addressed. Further, Ryan Henry of Kincaid Henry Building Group, Inc., introduced himself and explained his company's expertise in rehabilitating historic buildings. (www.kincaidhenry.com) Ryan explained that he had recently been in conversation with The Chelsea Connection and felt he could bring considerable expertise and funding to the project. Ryan asked for a 60 day extension of the RFP, and that was granted. Additionally, the DDA wanted 30 days to study the situation "to determine what we want," so the extension of the RFP is a total of 90 days. Asked by Bob Pierce, "On the scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest, how doable is this?" Ryan answered, "5."

A working session of the DDA will be held on April 27, beginning at 8 p.m. The public is invited. Lower level in the City Hall.

The next meeting of The Chelsea Connection is Monday, April 19, at 6:45 p.m. on the third floor of the Clocktower Building. New interested parties are most welcome!