KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – City officials are looking for some state funding to help with repairs to the exterior of Kalamazoo City Hall.
City Commissioners Monday authorized the submission of a Certified Local Government Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Program application to the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office. The grant application, in the amount of $15,500, supports the completion of a Condition Assessment Report regarding damage to the building’s exterior caused by blue-green algae.
If funded by the state, the grant would fully cover anticipated assessment costs. The Condition Assessment Report will:
Determine the extent of damage caused by the algae currently eating the exterior sandstone, as well as identifying potential solutions to remedy this damage and prevent future damage from occurring.
Evaluate the areas near the front and rear doors to City Hall, where the structure has absorbed salt and is currently scaling off.
Assess structural building movement caused by the size of the blocks used in the 1931 construction of City Hall and determine how to reduce current and prevent future impacts.
“Kalamazoo City Hall is a beautiful example of the Art Deco architecture that was prominent in the 1920s and 1930s,” said Luis Pena, historic preservation coordinator for the City of Kalamazoo, “and it’s a building that is covered in granite and Indiana limestone. Over time, that limestone has been damaged by algae.
“The condition assessment report is necessary to understand the problems unique to this historical asset,” added Pena. “The completion of the assessment will allow us to identify and utilize specific solutions to appropriately repair the building. If we attempt to solve the problems using the wrong methods, further and irreparable damage to the building could be done. Our goal is to prevent that from happening.”
The present City Hall was dedicated by Mayor S. Rudolph Light on September 1, 1931. It was designed in the Art Deco style by Weary and Alford of Chicago, and was erected by Miller-Davis and equipped at a cost of $524,000.
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