FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE:
January 8, 2014
CONTACT: Nancy Finegood
PHONE:
517-371-8080
E-MAIL:
Finegood@mhpn.org
WEB:
www.mhpn.org
_______________________________________
Preservation Advocates Announce Survey of Historic
Detroit Neighborhoods to Inform Demolition Decisions
Data Gathered Within Hardest Hit Fund Target Areas Will Complement
Citywide Blight Survey
The Michigan Historic Preservation Network and Preservation Detroit
today announce a historic preservation resource survey that will provide property-byproperty information across Detroit in eligible historic districts within six Hardest Hit
Fund target areas.
LANSING, MI:
The historic resource survey, which begins Saturday, will assess Detroit’s important
historic assets in the six areas – Grandmont Rosedale, Jefferson-Chalmers, North
End, UDM/Marygrove, Southwest, and Morningside/East English Village – identified
by the Detroit Land Bank Authority in which $52 million in federal Hardest Hit Funds
will be used for blight mitigation. This survey will provide the DLBA with information
on properties’ historic significance that will help inform final decisions on demolition.
“This is a precedent-setting opportunity for preservationists to be at the table and
proactively address decisions that directly affect Detroit’s historic assets,” said
Nancy Finegood, Executive Director of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network.
“We hope this information will prove useful to making smart decisions around
strategic demolition.”
Michigan State Housing Development Authority has specified that the Hardest Hit
Funds cannot be used in designated historic districts. However, eligible historic
districts are on the chopping block. These funds are exempt from the safety net of a
Section 106 review – an assessment done by the State Historic Preservation Office
to determine whether federal spending will adversely affect historic resources – as
the U.S. Treasury has determined that use of these funds does not trigger a review.
The historic resource survey will complement the citywide survey being completed
by Data Driven Detroit (D3) and Loveland Technologies – often referred to as
“blexting” – under the direction of the Blight Task Force. The historic resource data
will be integrated into the final analyses done by these organizations.
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Survey of Historic Detroit Neighborhoods to Inform Demolition Decisions
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“This survey allows the preservation community to play a proactive role in informing
decisions made about the fate of our historic built environment," says Amy Elliott
Bragg, President of the Board of Preservation Detroit. "We all recognize that
demolition needs to be part of the equation for Detroit’s success, but the historic
buildings, spaces, and neighborhoods that make Detroit unique are critical to our
future as well.”
Trained volunteers will survey eligible historic districts parcel-by-parcel using a
platform hosted by Local Data that offers geocoded data information and outlined lot
lines for easy surveying. The platform can be used on most smart phones and
tablets. Surveyors will be asked to look at the architectural integrity of individual
properties, their importance to telling the story of the eligible district, and the context
of the given block. These answers will be aggregated to determine a historic
preservation “score.” This score – Very Important, Important, or Less Important –
aims to provide a clean, easy-to-digest assessment of a neighborhood’s historic
assets. The score will be used to inform decisions around demolition in these
neighborhoods.
The historic resource survey will be completed February 1, 2014.
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About the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and Preservation Detroit
The Michigan Historic Preservation Network is a non-profit organization that
advocates for Michigan’s historic places to contribute to the state’s economic vitality,
sense of place, and connection to its past. Field assistance for local preservation
efforts is provided by MHPN and may be funded through their revolving loan fund
program. For more information call Nancy Finegood at 517-371-8080, email
finegood@mhpn.org, or visit the MHPN web site at www.mhpn.org.
Preservation Detroit (formerly Preservation Wayne) is a non-profit organization
dedicated to historic preservation within the City of Detroit. Preservation Detroit’s
mission is to preserve, promote, and protect the neighborhoods and structures that
uniquely define Detroit. Since 1975, through education, advocacy, research and
awareness, Preservation Detroit has sought to preserve the architectural elements
that foster more livable urban environments that benefit the people who live in them.
Visit preservationdetroit.org for more information. Media contact:
amyelliottbragg@gmail.com or 248-885-2282.
313 E. Grand River Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48906
Phone: 517-371-8080 Fax:517-371-9090 Web: mhpn.org