» Ox-Bow Heads to Town

A look at the history and future of Ox-Bow’s new downtown location.

by Shanley Poole

For the past 112 years, Ox-Bow has called the Lagoon and Tallmadge woods home. Now our historic school and residency program has decided to dip its toes in the city. Don’t worry, we’ll still have our place in the woods, but you’ll also be able to find us in downtown Douglas. This summer, we’ll be opening Ox-Bow House on Center Street in the former Saugatuck-Douglas Library.

Ox-Bow fell in love with the building and its rich history, which predates the school’s own roots in the area. Since its construction in 1870, the building has lived many lives including time as Douglas’s first church, an athletic clubhouse, and Oddfellows hall. When the library settled into the building in 1981, a fair amount of changes were needed to make the former athletic clubhouse into a space fit for readers. One librarian shared that more than one patron had boasted that they used to play basketball where a collection of bookshelves now stood. The renovations completed under the library’s leadership included critical structural work, an addition to the south end of the building, as well as an elevator and exterior ramp.

True to Douglas and Saugatuck’s communal nature, many renovations were made through the support of other local organizations. The 1987 remodel was funded largely by the Saugatuck-Douglas Art Club. The Douglas Garden Club also came alongside the library in 1998 to create the Reader’s Garden behind the building. The garden still remains onsite, offering benches where passersby might still stop to enjoy the flowers and even crack open a book. Perhaps in the future, they might also be able to enjoy the occasional garden art installation. These additions, brought about by the library’s leadership and vision for the building, have preserved the legacy of the space and enhanced its value and accessibility to the public. In time, Ox-Bow intends to follow the library’s example and pursue more renovations and restorations.

In 2020, after three decades in its former location, the library reached its capacity. In an effort to expand its collection and create more space for programming, the library moved across