Downtown Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee are iconic places. Iconic means historic, but it also means old. And, like many of us, the downtowns in these U.P. landmarks are showing their age.
With the help of a $536,550
revitalization and placemaking grant from the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee’s downtowns will be getting a facelift. The
Lake Superior Community Partnership, a nonprofit economic development coalition that applied for the grant, hopes it will generate investment in other improvement and expansion projects, bringing new growth and prosperity to the U.P.
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Michigan Economic Development CorporationMichele Wildman That often happens, says Michele Wildman, MEDC’s chief place officer. “We have seen time and time again where these projects are catalytic for the communities that they're in and result in additional private investment,” she explains.
The grant is part of $25 million in funding for projects across Michigan through the state
Revitalization and Placemaking program (RAP). RAP grants support community revitalization needs in Michigan communities by investing in projects that promote population and tax revenue growth. They provide “gap funding,” which Wildman calls the amount needed to make a project feasible. “This is funding that enables projects that wouldn’t happen otherwise,” she says.
The grants cover 50 percent of project costs, with building owners contributing matching funds.
Michigan’s RAP program was launched in 2022 with $100 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. In 2023, the Michigan legislature appropriated another $100 million for a second round of RAP grants.
The grants are highly competitive. The MEDC received 81 applications for this latest round of RAP funding, and grants were awarded to 27 applications for approximately 64 projects in 48 communities.
Marquette
Marquette plans to renovate a building at 201 N. Front St. and another at 130 W. Baraga Ave. The Front Street building is owned by Method Real Estate Partners and houses Forsberg Flowers and the Bluff Street Station event space. The Baraga Avenue one is owned by Queen City Properties and is home to the Queen City Running Company.
According to the grant application, the Forsberg Flowers building serves as a cornerstone of the downtown district’s unique character. Proposed exterior improvements will modernize the building while maintaining Marquette's special charm, the application said.
Plans are to repair and paint the exterior, install metal panels over the existing rock face, add awnings, replace signage, and install a second exterior door and window system and a new glass garage door, at an estimated total cost of $106,691, including RAP and matching funds.
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Chris KoehsConstructed in the 1870s, the home of Queen Street Running Company is poised for improvements.“These improvements will not only enhance the building's appearance but also contribute to the overall economic and aesthetic vitality of downtown Marquette,” said the grant application.
The Queen Street Running Company building was constructed in the 1870s. According to the grant application, it represents Marquette’s historical and cultural identity but has aged significantly, making it inefficient, less visually appealing and in need of modern updates to align it with the growing vibrancy of downtown Marquette.
Improvements will include window and siding replacement, a foundation wrap and energy-efficient lighting installation, at a total cost of $207,900, including RAP and matching funds.
Ishpeming
Ishpeming plans to restore the old Anderson Building, a classic, three-story sandstone structure located downtown. Originally constructed in 1871 by Andrew August to house his jewelry shop, that building was destroyed in a fire that swept through downtown Ishpeming in 1874. It was rebuilt, but after Anderson died, his second building was demolished and the current one erected in 1891.
The Marquette County Land Bank Authority secured an initial $250,000 grant from the State Land Bank to help stabilize the building. The organization used that and a 10 percent match from the Ishpeming Downtown Development Authority as leverage to help obtain the MEDC RAP grant, says Antonio Adan, executive director of the Marquette County Land Bank. Work on the improvements will take place this summer.
The Marquette County Land Bank works with local governments and community organizations like the Lake Superior Community Partnership to find the best ways to remove blight.
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Marquette County Land Bank AuthorityThis sandstone building in downtown Ishpeming has been dormant for more than 50 years.“For more than 50 years, this beautiful sandstone building in downtown Ishpeming has remain dormant, and the county Land Bank and local contractors want to give it new life,” Adan explains. “We will stabilize the building with work on the back wall and structural repairs, also adding new windows and exterior improvements.”
The total estimated cost of the work is $464,835, including RAP and matching funds.
When the work is completed, the current owner — Pat Moyle of Moyle Trucking and Excavation — will decide how to best use the refurbished building. Mixed-use with retail on the main level and rental housing upstairs is being considered.
“This fits well with the mission of providing attainable housing and economic development opportunities while revitalizing communities,” Adan says.
“We are excited to get this building back to its glory days,” he adds. “It will be great for the West End community of Ishpeming.”
Negaunee
Negaunee plans to renovate Degraeve Properties at 442 Iron St. by repairing the decorative “ribbon roof” on the west side of the building, installing new commercial doors, adding a storefront window and replacing the upper windows on Iron Street, at an estimated cost of $97,076.50, including RAP and matching funds.
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Sunny 101.9 FMNegaunee City Manager Nate Heffron“The building is a cornerstone structure in a high-visibility area, serving as a vital piece of the neighborhood’s historical and architectural fabric,” according to the project application. “While the building has strong bones, parts of the façade have suffered wear and tear over the years, limiting its appeal to potential tenants and businesses."
Negaunee will also use the grant to update the building housing Samsara Floral at 415 Iron St. The historic two-story structure, built in 1900, has fallen into disrepair, detracting from the business's otherwise innovative and high-quality image, according to the grant application.
Work will include new siding, windows and doors, replacing signage, improving the entrance and repairing flaking concrete at the base of the building. The total cost, including RAP funding and the owner’s match, is estimated at $159,940.
“It’s no secret downtown Negaunee is experiencing a historic resurgence thanks to public and private investment,” says Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron. “With this state grant, two private business owners will be able to make major updates to their buildings that will continue that momentum, expediting new opportunities for business and residential growth in our community.”
Placemaking
Placemaking is the concept of creating appealing and inclusive public spaces that help define a community’s identity, making it a more vibrant and attractive destination. Fred Kent, a pioneering public space advocate, coined the term in 1975, when he founded the Project for Public Spaces.
MEDC Chief Place Officer Wildman describes placemaking as “intentionally revitalizing communities in a way that creates vibrancy, strengthens connections to community and enables enhancements to quality of life.”
The
Sanford Area Growth Alliance (SAGA) of Sanford, North Carolina — developer of a model placemaking project — has found placemaking to be a vital driver of economic development.
“It creates vibrant, unique and engaging environments that attract people, investment and businesses,” says SAGA. “It fosters a sense of identity, attracts talent, stimulates entrepreneurship, increases property values, creates hometown pride and promotes sustainability. The impact of investments in placemaking has economic development benefits far beyond tax base expansion and increased tourist traffic.”
That’s exactly what the MEDC is hoping its RAP grants will accomplish.
“We’re helping provide the pieces that communities need to both serve their current residents and attract new talent and businesses,” Wildman says.
Jennifer Donovan is a reporter with more than 40 years of experience on daily newspapers, magazines and university writing and editing. She is retired as director of news and media relations at Michigan Technological University and lives in Houghton.