Friends of Ypsilanti FreightHouse work to come up with rescue biz plan

Friday, November 21, 2008 | Source: Concentrate
The small, but growing, group of volunteers working to save the Ypsilanti Freighthouse is looking for public input as they put together a business plan to save the historic structure.

The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse will hold the meeting at 6:30 p.m. today and Thursday at Ypsilanti Senior Citizens Center, 1015 Congress Street in Ypsilanti’s Recreation Park.

The Freighthouse has been a landmark structure in city's Depot Town district for decades. However, age and wear and tear have forced the structure to close. It is now in need of major renovation work.

The Friends group is in the process of securing a grant that will help pay for grading around the structure and the creation of a drainage system that will lead to a nearby rain garden. Both the grading and the drainage system are deemed as critical to salvaging the building. Work is expected to begin in November.

The group also raised $10,000 this summer to help restore the historic landmark from its current vacant and decaying state. The price tag for restoring the entire structure is estimated to be $400,000 plus help from a few grants.

The freighthouse served the adjacent railroad from 1878 to right after World War II. The 5,000-square-foot structure became a warehouse before the city bought it in 1979, turning it into a community center. It made the state Register of Historic Places in 1997. More recently, the Depot Town farmer's market set up shop on the surrounding parking lot.

The freighthouse closed in 2004 due to a couple of significant but not insurmountable structural issues. The building's attached deck needs to be rebuilt, its west-facing wall bows out, and the floor needs to be refurbished to eliminate trip hazards.
 
Source: Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse
Writer: Jon Zemke
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Historic Preservation, Redevelopment 

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