West Shore Community College Manistee Downtown Education Center Transforming into new partnerships
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WEST SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear WSCC Community,
nity a better place and fulfilling our mission. I am incredibly excited about the collaboration which will bring our longstanding partners, the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce and Networks Northwest, under one roof. A community college is much more than an academic institution. We also serve and support essential social services, workforce development and economic development. Through our increased collaboration, all partners will enhance and share our services with the community and deliver on our missions more efficiently.
After years of effort, I am excited to celebrate, with the community, the opening of West Shore Community College’s downtown Manistee building. As a result, I see continued progress toward the college’s mission to make our community a better place in which to learn, live, work and prosper. For many WSCC students and colleges across the country, the major impediments to student success are food, housing, transportation and childcare. These are also the main roadblocks for regional economic development. The services which will be provided within the walls of this renewed building will begin to help the community address many of these issues and enable the college to provide better access to higher education. While access is an essential element of the college’s work, access is not our primary goal. Student success is the goal we are striving for and there is a strong correla-
December 2020 | Supplement to the Manistee News Advocate
There are so many to thank for making this project a reality. Without the committed partnerships tion between student success at a of the Manistee Area Chamber of community college and the vitality of Commerce and Networks Norththe local economy. A robust econwest, this project would not have omy provides a higher likelihood been feasible. The architect, Kendra of student success and likewise, a Thompson, took a simple concept strong community college helps to and turned it into a design that strengthen the local economy. This transforms downtown Manistee. To symbiotic relationship, has driven assist with this transformation, the my passion for this project. Togeth- Manistee Downtown Development er, and we are making the commuAuthority and private donors provid-
ed crucial support. Many WSCC staff and contractors completed projects and construction while navigating a pandemic. We are also grateful to the Manistee News Advocate for keeping the public informed and building support and excitement for our efforts. This project began with approval from the WSCC Board of Trustees. Their steadfast belief in the college mission has been the engine behind this project. Most importantly, I want to recognize and thank the citizens of the West Shore Community College district, who make all of what the college does possible. As we celebrate the building’s completion and opening, I eagerly look forward to our collective journey to make the community a better place in which to live, learn, work and prosper. With deepest gratitude and appreciation, Scott Ward, President West Shore Community College
WSCC’s Manistee facility to help make education more accessible Kyle Kotecki kkotecki@pioneergroup.com
the community overall. “I was really looking at those aspects,” Ward continued. “The college is not just academic — we have our academic mission, but we also have our community economic development mission and a social mission. I think all three of those entities share that, and we can move all of those separate missions of the college together in this facility.”
When it comes to why West Shore Community College wanted to expand to the Manistee area and create the Manistee Downtown Education Center, president Scott Ward said the reasons were “severalfold.” Ward said having a facility in Manistee will help mitigate some barriers to education and make it accessible to more people.
Once the project was underway, Ward soon realized it could be even more than he had envisioned.
“Some of the major roadblocks to success are housing, transportation and lack of childcare,” he said. “By moving some of our classes (to Manistee), it helps reduce at least some of those — not just for residents in Manistee, but in the northern part of the county. It might shorten the amount of time childcare is necessary, or certainly reduce some of the transportation efforts.
“As soon as I started on the project, other people enhanced it,” he said. “I was looking at the work being done in the building and then others were bringing in ideas of what we can take advantage of to improve the whole downtown district. And that wasn’t my original thought — it was really to just forward our missions — but (architect) Kendra Thompson and others showed me what it could be.
“From our discussions with our school districts, I’m also hoping and very optimistic that this might be a good way to have some robust programming for dual enrolled students and shorten that transportation to the main campus.”
“Others certainly saw that too and convinced me early on that not only are we expanding all aspects of our mission, better serving the community both academically, economically and with workforce development, but we’re also improving a blighted building downtown and drawing traffic downtown. I think that improves the downtown of Manistee at the same time.”
Ward said the expansion will benefit more than just those pursuing a degree or certification. “It’s not just for our regular academic courses. It’s also for that continuing edtype coursework we’ve got. We’ve done some of the learning courses sometimes in less desirable locations in the community, because we’re trying to bring it to the community,” he said. “And nothing against the community — the space just isn’t available. It’s been a number of years, but we’ve taught in hallways — like, a yoga class in a hallway.” Ward said the benefits of having a facility in Manistee extend beyond the college’s academic mission, as well. “It’s not just the academic I was looking at — it was the college’s important roles in economic development and workforce development. As I explored this concept, the first discussion I had before I went any further was to see if the (Manistee Area) Chamber of Com-
Ward believes the project’s benefits to the community are already visible. The new space in the West Shore Community College building in downtown Manistee includes meeting space that will be available for the community. (Michelle Graves/News Advocate)
merce would be interested in becoming a partner in this,” Ward said. “I say that because I did not think the college could go alone on this project. Even though I think there’s a need for it, there wasn’t a need to justify us having a facility just for ourselves — our own needs.” Once the chamber got on board, followed by Michigan Works!, Ward knew the project could become a reality, and that the three entities working under the same roof could benefit the entire community. “The college and the chamber work
so closely on economic and community development, that working in the same space and utilizing that space is a great fit. Now, when the college isn’t using the classrooms or space, they can also use it for meetings and some of their workforce development or other efforts,” he said. “And then bringing in Michigan Works! is the same thing: We all share so much of the same mission and we’ve worked so closely together. We’re really looking for the synergy of all of the partners and working to continue our collaboration, but I think we can enhance our collaboration and better serve
“I think we’re already seeing some ripple effects of that in the community. So it’s not just this building that’s going to benefit, but I think overall there’s going to be ripple effects throughout the whole downtown and hopefully the community,” he said. “And that’s what we’re looking for: We’re always looking for those ripple effects, but I think those ripple effects are turning out to be a little bigger than I originally imagined, which is a good thing.” While the renovations to the building are nearly complete, an official grand opening has not yet been scheduled. WSCC officials say it is dependent on pandemic restrictions.
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WEST SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
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Inside the architect’s vision for new community college building Erin Glynn
erin.glynn@pioneergroup.com
Kendra Thompson has been thinking about the building at 400 River St. for decades. She worked there in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s when the building housed the clothing store Milliken’s. She saw the building undergo a remodel in 1985 that added a west addition.
facilitating economic development (and) business development, so let’s get them all under the same roof working together,” she said. It features one common lobby area, multiple shared smallgroup conference rooms, two classrooms, an open office area and seven “closed-door” offices with glass walls. “It’s very open, very transparent and it allows daylight into the middle spaces,” Thompson said of the offices’ walls.
Now, as she enters her 31st year with her architectural practice, she has transformed the buildThe open office area ing into a collaborative has some furniture space for West Shore equipped to be workCommunity College, stations but also more Northwest Michigan collaborative seating, Works! and the Manso students or employTHOMPSON istee Area Chamber of ees can casually sit at a Commerce. chair or ottoman and work on their laptops. “It’s always been a project that needed to be tackled and The two classroom spaces we’re just fortunate that the have a movable wall sepacollege stepped up,” Thomprating them so they can be son said. opened into one big room. The building is similar to one Thompson designed in Ludington for the Lakeshore Resource Network and is inspired by the vision of WSCC president Scott Ward.
“Those classrooms have large windows that overlook the river. So when those freighters come up the river, it’s going to be one of the best places in town to be sitting in a class,” Thompson said.
“The concept is that each of these entities are doing There’s also a learning lab work that overlaps each other. for Michigan Works!, which is They’re serving similar types a small classroom space where of needs in the community and they can provide training and
testing, and a deck that looks out at the river that can be used for events. The spaces are primarily furnished by local suppliers, such as Metalworks and Haworth in Ludington. The building is in the Manistee Commercial Historic District. Thompson describes it as a non-contributing building, meaning it isn’t compatible visually with the rest of the architecture in the district. She said making the building look compatible means thinking about proportions of massing — an architecture term that refers to not only the size but also shape and form of a structure — and scale of windows and doors and features like the storefront. “The U.S. Department of Interior has guidelines for dealing with historic districts and historic buildings themselves, but in this case, we do not want to recreate a false sense of history,” Thompson said. She compared the project to something like Disney World, where the idea is visitors can’t tell the difference between a building built in 2020 and one built in 1890. “We don’t want to do that,” Thompson said. “What we’ve tried to do is to develop a building, so we know that this is a 21st century-type building,
When architect Kendra Thompson designed the West Shore Community College building at 400 River St., they tried to develop a building that is 21st century but also has characteristics that contribute to the Manistee's Historic District. (Michelle Graves/News Advocate)
but it has those characteristics that contribute to the district.” That sense is primarily conveyed through material and color choices. Thompson chose classic red brick for parts of the building’s exterior and had stucco painted in a similar color so it would all read as one material. Thompson also needed to update the building, last renovated before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, so that it complied with modern day accessibility standards. The building now has an elevator, and a completely
reconstructed south entry area with a ramp and automatic doors. Spaces internally are designed to be barrier-free as well, Thompson said. She is excited for the building to be used again. “The exterior of the building is just a night and day change from what it was,” she said. “The ability to get some of the characteristics that are more suitable for our downtown district is a pretty major statement and I’m just thrilled that the college was in the position and had the foresight to allow that to happen.”
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WEST SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
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The new West Shore Community College Manistee Downtown Education Center has two classrooms for student use. (Michelle Graves/News Advocate)
Manistee Downtown Education Center to bolster academic offerings Ken Grabowski For the News Advocate
that even more. He pointed out that other new offerings are also in the works.
For more than 50 years, West Shore Community College has followed the path of providing the very best possible educational opportunities to its students. Very soon a new tool will be added to that philosophy when the new Manistee Downtown Education Center opens on the corner of Maple and River streets. Although the building will also house office space for the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce and Networks Northwest (Michigan Works!), it will also be used to increase the college’s academic offerings in the Manistee area.
“The other thing we have been working with Manistee High School on developing is a business certificate or associate degree they can start working on while they are still in high school,” said Kinney. “So, some of those classes we will be offering will kind of lead to that credential.” The two classroom spaces in the Manistee Downtown Education Center have a movable wall separating them so they can be opened into one big room. (Michelle Graves/News Advocate)
so that is a class that we could easily offer in Manistee.”
Kinney pointed out that by holding English classes at that WSCC vice president of location, it would save people academic and student services Dr. Mark Kinney said the college from the northern part of their will be strengthening what it can district from having to drive to the WSCC campus in Scottville. offer to students in several areas. He said some of the details “So, we are going to be having are still in the works at this time. a lot of those common courses “We have two classrooms that (that students are required to take) that we will be offering out will be located on the river side of that building,” said Kinney. of that building on the Riv“Another thing we are going to er Street level,” said Kinney. do is that location is going to be “Basically, our plan is going to very convenient for some of our be to offer some classes we feel dual enrollment (high school) would benefit a larger number students.” of people. What I mean by that is our English courses are pretty much required for every degree,
Many county students currently take dual enrollment
courses through WSCC, which gives them a jumpstart on their college education. Students taking those classes earn college credits that go with them when they enroll in college. “Up until now we have actually taught dual enrollment classes in Manistee High School,” said Kinney. “That is great for those students, but difficult for members of the public to take those courses when they are in the high school building.” Kinney said they haven’t been able to offer classes at their other location at the Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital Education Center for Manistee High School students because it
is too difficult for them to drive that distance in the limited time they have between classes. “However, they can make it downtown in time to those classes that we have been offering to the students in the high school,” said Kinney. “The public and Manistee Catholic Central students will also be able to come and take those classes at the downtown center. So, we are kind of expanding the pool of people who would be able to benefit those courses by offering them there.” The college has many students already taking dual enrollment classes, and Kinney hopes this will help to expand
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He said those classes will be open to everyone beyond MAPS students, but that they are still working on the full schedule at this time. “With time we hope to have it where you will be able to earn an entire certificate or degree at the Manistee Downtown Center,” said Kinney. “We are going monitor how much demand we have and the class sizes and expand our classes to hopefully one day reach our goal of getting your entire program down there.” For the Downtown Center, the college is looking at mostly day classes while at the Education Center at the hospital, they don’t have access to those classrooms during the day. “We only have access in the evening for the most part so we will continue to offer classes at that location,” said Kinney. “We are going to continue to offer courses there in the evenings.” Another area where they have expanded offerings is online classes. He said COVID-19 has impacted and delayed the college getting into the downtown building. “We had plans for offering classes there this year, but COVID first of all delayed our renovation and that put us back because we couldn’t do construction early on,” said Kinney. “Now that construction is back on, we are definitely working on it, but it may be January or February when we get in there and that is half the winter semester. So we are writing this year off and starting next fall with classes.”
December 2020 | Supplement to the Manistee News Advocate
Education center tenants look forward to new partnership Scott Fraley
scott.fraley@pioneergroup.com
West Shore Community College will not be the only local organization to occupy space at the former Glik’s building at 400 River St. in Manistee. The Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce and Networks Northwest (Northwest Michigan Works!) will share that address with the college. Currently the chamber is located at 11 Cypress St. and the local Michigan Works office is in the Briny Building at 50 Filer St. Michigan Works has been located in Briny Building since January 2019 while the chamber has been at its Cypress street location for over seven years. The Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce’ goal is “to assist businesses with their interests to build a healthier economy,” according to its website. “The actions of the Chamber range from providing business support, workforce and leadership development, legislative advocacy, hosting networking opportunities, economic development, and also charitable works for the betterment of the community,” the chamber’s website states. Chamber president Stacie Bytwork said the central location will foster collaboration between education, economic development and community use. “The chamber felt this would strengthen our partnership with these organizations, streamline operations and become a stronger economic driver for our area for us all to be located together,” Bytwork said.
ability to preserve and create high quality of life conditions,” according to the Networks Northwest website. Its primary services are: workforce development; business & economic development; and community development. Networks Northwest is also “the convening agency for the Regional Prosperity Initiative” for the 10 counties of northwest Michigan. McCauley said his organization was approached by the college to become a tenant once the building is complete. “We were approached by West Shore about the possibility, and we considered our options — where we were currently located within the Briny Building and other options available within the community,” he said.
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The building at 400 River St. in Manistee soon will be home to West Shore Community College, Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce and Networks Northwest (Michigan Works!). (Michelle Graves/News Advocate)
ber of commerce and West Shore Community College that we are interested in providing them the best possible service and we are prepared to do that in a collaborative way.” With the move expected for early 2021, the heads of both organizations expressed an eagerness to begin working together. “Saying we are beyond eager to move to the new location would be an understatement,” Bytwork said. “We are grateful for this opportunity and can’t thank the college enough for letting the chamber be a part of this project and catalyst for the downtown.”
The West Shore Community College building in downtown Manistee features plenty of open area office space for the college, Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce and Networks Northwest. (Michelle Graves/News Advocate)
But for McCauley, the potential partnership between his organization, the chamber and college was too great of an opportunity to pass up. “(We) came to the conclusion that collaboration is more important than ever,” McCauley said. “This represented a tremendous opportunity for us to show the community that these are not organizations that are designed to work in a singular way, but really in a collaborative way.” According to Bytwork, the chamber opted to change locations for similar reasons. “We decided to move to not only to be a partner in the building, but to bring an elevated level of service for economic and workforce development for the business community with our collaboration with the college and Networks Northwest,” Bytwork said.
McCauley said the central downtown location will also Networks Northwest chief exbenefit the three organizations. ecutive officer Matt McCauley echoed Bytwork’s sentiment. “When we look at that particular intersection, that really is “This is an agency that a high traffic, very visible area believes regional prosperity of the downtown community. comes from the confluence of talent, business and communi- To have a partnership that’s willing to invest in that locaty, and this project led by West tion and to make it a new and Shore really amplifies those improved building, I think that three things in Manistee and says a lot to the community the surrounding area,” McCaudevelopment and how residents ley said. and visitors continue to see the The goal of the Networks downtown area evolve,” McNorthwest Community DevelCauley said. “I also see that as opment department is “to be an area where we can show the a planning resource, enabling customers in the community to and enhancing the region’s Michigan Works, to the cham-
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The West Shore Community College Manistee Downtown Education Center features graphic vinyl panels that include topics like Manistee’s history of ironworks, agriculture, recreation, railroads, the architecture of mansions and local buildings and more. (Michelle Graves/News Advocate)
Early industrial past of Manistee tied to modern businesses at new WSCC campus Arielle Breen
arielle.breen@pioneergroup.com
Lumber and salt were the two major industries of early Manistee, but there are others set to be displayed with historical context at the new West Shore Community College Manistee Downtown Education Center.
These renderings show some of the history panels on display at the West Shore Community College Manistee Downtown Education Center. (Courtesy art/Amor Sign Studios)
Manistee County Historical Museum, to create description panels and historical photos from the area.
they would take the brine and evaporate it which would give them salt.”
He is also interested in the ways that Manistee “She asked me if I would has needed to reinvent like to work on that projitself. ect and I said ‘Absolute“One of the eras of ly,’” Fedder recalled. “Why Manistee’s history that I not try to engage people in find particularly interestthe wonderful history of ing is (this): OK, so you Manistee County?” had all the lumber and
Kendra Thompson, project architect and longtime Manistee resident, wanted to highlight the An example of one of early history of Manistee the industries on display County’s businesses that had an impact on econom- is the history of how Manistee became a salt city. ic growth of Manistee. Fedder explains how the “We’re pulling in the Manistee salt industry is history of the community tied to Reitz Park’s name. with some vinyl graphics and some narratives and “Salt was discovered photos that will be placed in about 1880 here in on some of the interior Manistee,” Fedder said. glass walls,” Thompson “A man by the name of said. Charles Reitz (is) kind of looked on as the one that About a dozen vinyl began that industry.” graphic panels are set to be displayed, Thompson Fedder said Reitz paired said. up with a state geologist. These include topics “They discovered salt like Manistee’s history of springs bubbling up from ironworks, agriculture, one of his properties. They recreation, railroads, the wanted to know if there architecture of mansions was salt underneath so and local buildings sponthey drilled for it. It took sored by affluent lumber them quite a while to find barons, and the role of the it and there’s all kinds Manistee River channel in of drama involved in all transportation involved in that,” he said. “Eventuthe port city’s history. ally, they struck it. Then, Thompson collaboratthey pumped down water ed with Mark Fedder, and steam and then they executive director of the pumped up brine, and
you had all the salt and these things going. But what happens when all the lumber is gone, there is no more lumber to really cut down anymore.” Fedder said. “How does that affect the area? And that is kind of an era in the early teens to 1920s that is kind of filled with a lot of drama.” He said that led to the creation of a drop forge, a violin factory, an underwear factory and a boat factory among other businesses. LOVING LOCAL HISTORY Both Fedder and Thompson have shown an invested interest in Manistee County’s history and how it ties to the present. Thompson is in her 30th year of practicing architecture in Manistee, and she said this building had been on her radar for years.
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The new West Shore Community College campus features graphic vinyl panels on display that include topics like Manistee’s history of ironworks, agriculture, recreation, railroads, the architecture of mansions and local buildings sponsored by affluent lumber barons and the role of the Manistee River channel in transportation involved in the port city’s history. (Courtesy rendering)
“When the college and Scott Ward, the president, decided to pursue taking a look at ‘what if?’ and how the college would play a role in Manistee’s economic development … we started off with roundtable discussions with potential partners and then it has taken its course through almost being ready for occupancy,” Thompson explained. Fedder said Thompson approached him and said the college was looking to highlight the history of Manistee within the building from a business perspective. “She has Manistee’s history at heart, so to speak, when she does a lot of her projects,” Fedder said of Thompson. “She always wants to preserve the history of the buildings and of the area.” Thompson also kept history in mind as she worked on the exterior plans of the campus building that is part of the Manistee Central Business District, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places and part of the Manistee Historic District. “And so anything that is built, constructed, having to do with the exterior envelope of the buildings in that district have to go through a review process with the objective (of) continuing on cohesive and compatible in support of the
National Historic District,” she said. Thompson said the building had not been cohesive or compatible with the district’s other buildings for some time. “The design that we did for the building is taking what everyone would say was a grossly out of place and a non-contextual building at a key intersection within that historic district — taking that building and trying to make it more cohesive and compatible with the buildings of that district,” she said. “When I say cohesive and compatible, we’re looking at mapping, proportions as well as some of the details of it.”
Then in 1988, the western part of the building was added and the entire building envelope was renovated to be what it has been until West Shore Community College started its project. “It had stucco work, insulation finish, all the canopies were taken off, it was just stripped down very minimalistic,” Thompson said. But in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s the historic project facelift initiatives started to become active in Manistee, she said.
college campus. “This building, even though it will be new and fresh and innovative in design, we’re pulling in the history of the community with (the) vinyl graphics and narratives and photos that will be placed on some of the interior glass walls,” she said. “The college sees part of their role in the community to help facilitate economic development.”
Part of this is being done with partnerships in the community with having the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce and Michigan “(They) were becoming Works! under the same roof more aware of these wonderful historic buildings they had. as the college. …” she said. “This building Jumping off of that theme, She said the U.S. Departwas just this eyesore, historthe architect wanted to tap ment of the Interior that ically out of place building at into the history of businesses oversees historic districts the key intersection in that and industries in the comspecifically says “we’re not to district.” munity and highlight them create a false sense of history.” through the graphic vinyls. Thompson has done archiShe said Manistee’s Historic tecture in Manistee County Fedder said with West District features buildings like the Manistee Blacker Shore’s business and historithat are considered to be in Airport, but she has also cal ties, it is better to engage a typical Victorian Italianate worked outside of the county with people in person through style. on projects like the Beaver a readable panel as opposed Island Airport and Ludington to simply putting up a piece of She said the goal with the Library. artwork. new campus is to keep with the traditional. “Any project that I do, we “I think it’s important to try to identify the design and recognize the history of any “That’s what we’ve tried to community but in particular, do in terms of taking the gross the interior finishing out to try to make it personal to that Manistee has such a unique proportions of the (1980s) particular facility and those history,” Fedder said. “Any remodel of the building and users,” she explained. time that that can be promothelp it to be more in propored is a good thing. But (from tion in keeping the history,” That same concept can be Thompson said. seen with the community my perspective) if I’m in a
building like that and I’ve got some time to kill or I’m sitting there waiting, or if I’m going to class or something like that (and) I see those (panels) displayed somewhere, I’m going to spend a couple minutes and read something about the community.” While Fedder is a lifetime resident of Manistee, he is also a West Shore Community College graduate. “I had a wonderful teacher at West Shore; his name was Professor Mike Nagle. I was always really interested in history and did well in history in high school,” Fedder recalled. He said he was trying to figure out his major and what he would do after college. “I took a history class from him and he was really inspiring and really a wonderful teacher and got me more excited and into history,” Fedder said. “And so that eventually led me to going to Central Michigan (University) where history was my major which led to me getting this position here (at the museum). He’ll kind of pop into the museum from time to time to say ‘Hello’ and I recognize him as being the one that got me more interested in history. So, all it takes is somebody to go ‘Hey this stuff is really interesting or really cool’ and to present it in a really good manner.”
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A view of the northwest corner of River and Maple streets in 1888.
In 1964, Milliken’s remodeled the former Kennedy’s store and continued to occupy the building as it was until the expansion in 1988.
The east half of the Millken’s store in 1969. In the mid- to late-1910s, Albert Warnshall constructed and operated a small restaurant/lunch stand on the northwest corner of River and Maple streets. It was later called The Cozy Corner.
In 1955, Kennedy’s clothing store was built on the corner of River and Maple streets.
In early November 1986, two River Street buildings were torn down to make way for the expansion of the Milliken’s store. (All photos courtesy of Manistee County Historical Museum)
The building on the northwest corner of River and Maple streets Mark Fedder Manistee County Historical Museum As the years go by, it’s funny how many of us will still refer to a building by its original name or by one of its previous names even though those occupants of said building have been gone for years and years. Call it honoring the past, a memory lapse or just plain goofiness, but for some strange reason the combination of a building, a name and a certain time in our lives strikes a chord with us that we somehow can’t shake loose.
Signs | Awnings Electronic Displays Amor Sign Studios, Inc. 1965 Pine Creek Road Manistee, Ml 231-723-8361 amorsign.com
While there have been multiple occupants of the building(s) located at the northwest corner of River and Maple streets, the current building often gets referred to as Milliken’s even though Millken’s hasn’t been inside of it for some 20 years. By the mid-1980s, the Millken’s store, which moved into a building originally constructed by the Kennedy family in 1955 as an expansion of their clothing store, had outgrown the location on the northwest corner of River and Maple streets. As the building hadn’t been improved upon much since Milliken’s began occupying it in 1964, it was time to expand.
tion of two downtown storefronts that were located next to the then Milliken’s building. A brief write-up published in the Nov. 6, 1986 issue of the Manistee News Advocate mentions that:
increase parking space and redesigning the Oak Street entrance to the current parking lot for safer access.
“Workers were busy earlier this week demolishing old buildings to the west of Milliken’s on River Street in Manistee to make room for the retailer’s planned expansion. Milliken’s plans to triple the size of the store from its present 5,250 square feet to 15,000 square feet. Construction is scheduled to get under way next year.”
“Gray said the exterior of the store will ‘be more in keeping with the style of Manistee -- art deco and turn of the century architecture.’ The main entrance will be found on River Street and will be similar in design to the portico detail of the Ramsdell Building across the street, Gray said. There will be a matching opening at the backside of the building that will offer a view of the river.
Once the dust settled from tearing down the two structures, the project was held up nearly a year while store officials and architects devised a new style of architecture which they labeled, “Manistee-modern” as the new look of Millken’s Manistee store. Details of the expansion project were printed in the News Advocate on Aug. 6, 1987:
“Johnson said that support from Ludington shoppers was a major part of the corporate decision to expand the Manistee Milliken’s. ‘The city of Manistee does not warrant expansion, but the one-third of our business from Ludington does. We are supported by one-third of our business by Ludington people besides tourists.’”
“Architectural renderings (of the building) were presented at the Downtown Development Authority meeting (yesterday) by architect Jim Gray and store manager Betty Johnson, who indicated that construction is scheduled to begin on the lady’s apparel store within the next two weeks. Interior remodeling will take place during February and March, with a grand opening scheduled for April.
Two weeks later, the expansion project which included creating a “shell” around the then current part of the building got underway. However, as big construction projects often go, a few difficulties (and that aforementioned parking lot) would wind up delaying the project and ballooning the cost from the initial price of $400,000 to $750,000.
To this end, plans were initially announced in mid-1986 that Millken’s was going to enlarge its store. But even though the architectural plans had not been “Also being considered, Gray put in place, the corporate owners said, was constructing a parking decided to move on the demolilot underneath the structure to
In early January 1988, with wind chill factors at 35 degrees below zero, it was reported that work on the project was on schedule but there had been a delay of
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WEST SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
In midAugust 1987, a northside line of River Street was blocked off so that work could begin on the new construction of the Milliken’s store.
Workers, fighting 35 degrees below zero temperatures, begin to construct the expansion of the store in January 1988.
the shipment of steel girders and beams from Indiana that were needed to construct the expansion of the store. Once construction of the store continued it was later made known that the store would be opening to the public in December with a grand opening scheduled for Dec. 7. In late November 1988, the president of Uhlmans, the company which had owned Manistee’s Milliken’s store since 1983, was interviewed by the News Advocate. The company president expressed his approval of the new store as well as the company’s continued faith in Manistee. “‘Over the years, the Manistee store has contributed to the downtown business district and will continue to do so,” said Uhlmans President Roger Vail. ‘We feel the store will anchor the downtown in the future.’ “Explaining why Uhlmans spent over $750,000 to expand and renovate the Manistee store, Vail said, ‘it’s a long-term investment in the community, because we have confidence in the community.’
Views of the new Milliken’s store in the spring of 1989. (All photos courtesy of Manistee County Historical Museum)
building offer such a good view of the river.” In the late-1980s, the city of Manistee was in the process of expanding the Riverwalk (from the Chamber of Commerce on Cypress Street to the City Marina) as well as attempting to make it a big attraction for locals and visitors alike. This fact was figured into the overall design and logistics of the building with Vail concluding:
We are proud to have worked on the new Manistee Downtown Education Center.
“‘Uhlmans has given an easement (along the river) to the city for the Riverwalk Project,” said Vail, “and the store was designed to integrate into it.” The Milliken’s store continued under that moniker until it later merged with Stage becoming Stage Milliken. In 2001, the building would become home to the clothing store Glik’s. After Glik’s moved into the Engelmann Building located on the northeast corner of River and Maple streets, the Milliken’s building was briefly home to Big Fish Sportswear and Love INC (today’s ECHO His Love).
Even though the building on the northwest corner of River and “‘We saw a strong customer Maple streets will likely continue base in Manistee and we really to be referred to by its various didn’t have the space to offer former names, it doesn’t take the selection of merchandise we away from what the building has wished.’ become today. And with class“‘Our customers have shown a rooms for West Shore Commulot of support over the years and nity College Manistee Downtown we felt they needed a larger store Education Center located inside and a larger selection,’ he said. as well as offices for the Manistee ‘We were kind of cramped here.’” Area Chamber of Commerce and Michigan Works! it will be nice to “Vail said he is very pleased with the newly designed store and see more activity in the Milliken’s feels it fits in well with its location store on River Street … err … I mean the building that is now on the Manistee River Channel. known as West Shore CommuniHe said the store’s design is ty College’s Manistee Downtown unique in the area because the windows on the north side of the Education Center.
Delivering construction services since 1950 (231) 947-2811
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News Advocate photos
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or m! f C C ea t S r W u o ou in Y t s k n u a r tr h T ou y
KENDRA C. THOMPSON ARCHITECTS, P.C. Manistee, MI • 231.723.4195
…Serving our community for over 30 years!
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community
college
Thank you Manistee Community
for your continued support and belief in your Community College. Your trust and confidence in WSCC paved the way for rehabilitating a keystone corner of Downtown Manistee for the student, business and local community. Here we will continue our mission of innovating, collaborating and bringing excellence to the region.
WSCC
WSCC: Manistee Downtown Education Center 400 River Street, Downtown Manistee (231) 845-6211 | westshore.edu