City Council Holds Special Meeting about Grant for MacGregor Library

MacGregor Library, Highland Park Michigan, Autumn 2022

A Brand New City Council Meets on It's First Agenda Item: MacGregor Library.

A special meeting was held by Highland Park City Council on January 23rd, 2023 to address a resolution of support for the Highland Park Historic Commission in applying for historic preservation grant funding. The resolution could not wait until the February 6th Council meeting because the grant is due on February 1st.

The meeting was called to order by Council President Jamal Thomas at 6:30pm. City Administrator Cathy Square and all five members of Council were present, as were Mayor Glenda MacDonald and Water Department Director Damon Garrett via Zoom.

After formalities, Highland Park Community Economic Development Director Ty Hinton began by explaining to Council that, though the packet they received said Highland Park was applying for $40,000 to address water issues in the library, after an investigation by the water department and discussion with the City Administrator Cathy Square, the historic preservation commission and the CED department decided to ask for as the state for the maximum grant of $100,000. He then turned the floor over to Anne Zobel, Chair of the Highland Park Historic District Commission.

Anne Zobel explained that the Commission is applying for a grant through the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office. The Commission has been working with the historic preservation office to come up with a strategic plan for historic preservation in Highland Park. Revitalizing the MacGregor Library has been identified as Highland Park’s highest priority for the Commission.

The Commission and CED have been making an assessment of the most critical needs of the building. Toward this end the city engaged the water department to determine the source of the water leaking into the library’s basement. The immediate goal is to hold off further decay at MacGregor long enough to renovate the building for public use. Critical priorities include stabilizing the building’s infrastructure and diverting stormwater runoff away from the foundation. The State of Michigan Historic Preservation Office is supportive of these determinations by the city. After the building is stabilized, the Historic Commission plans to raise the money to inventory and clean MacGregor’s collections.

The MacGregor Library contains to this day a trove of original documents, periodicals, books, antiques and historical artifacts that can never be replaced. Among the contents of the library are archived copies of The Highland Parker, one of Highland Park’s most historic newspapers going back to 1923. Highland Park resident Josh LaMere took two minutes on the podium during public discussion to say he peeked through an open shutter into the basement while on a walk through the neighborhood a couple of months ago. Everything made of paper and stored in MacGregor's basement appears to be a “total loss,” he said.

The Historical Significance of MacGregor Library

MacGregor Library has been closed since 2001 when Republican Governor John Engler imposed a state of financial emergency upon Highland Park. He appointed former Wayne County auditor Ramona Pearson as Emergency Financial Manager that summer and directed her to relentlessly cut spending in Highland Park. He then proceeded to ignore every plan she came up with to restructure the city’s debt for the next four years. It was at the beginning of Pearson’s tenure when Highland Park city government moved out of the historic city hall on Gerald street. The fire and police departments were moved out of their historic buildings as well. MacGregor Library and Ford Recreation Center were closed to the public.

Of the five Highland Park city departments profoundly affected and displaced by “emergency” spending cuts without debt restructure, four have managed to carry on, some in cramped cinder block quarters. Of the four historic municipal assets shuttered in 2001, the city has since been dispossessed of three. The MacGregor Library is the lone architectural jewel from the city’s “golden age” still owned by Highland Park. Though shuttered for 22 years and counting, MacGregor is a priceless architectural marvel in the Beaux Arts style, designed by Edward Tilton who apprenticed as a young man under nationally renowned Mckim, Meade and Wright of New York. When MacGregor was designed and built, from 1918 until 1926, no expense was spared on its grandeur. It was completed and dedicated on March 5th, 97 years ago. Later that year the MacGregor Library was awarded the Gold Medal of Architectural Merit by the American Institute of Architecture.

What the Library Grant Will Cover

The $100,000 grant will essentially be used to “waterproof” MacGregor Library. This includes work to the building’s foundation and roof, the repair and boarding up of windows and a redirection of storm water. Cameras will be placed in and around the facility to monitor its security.

Discussion was brought up during the council meeting by District 1 Councilwoman Tamiko Manica about the possibility of moving sensitive collections out of harm’s way. There was interest in this idea from the public in attendance. Cathy square pointed out that the building contains environmental hazards that prevent Highland Parkers including city workers, essentially anyone without proper abatement certifications, from legally entering the building. It was generally concluded that this will be the work of another grant on another day.

Council unanimously passed the amended resolution to support the Highland park Historic District Commission in pursuing a grant in the amount of $100,000 through the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office. If awarded, the grant will be administered by the City.

For more information about the MacGregor Library, check out Highland Park's municipal website: https://www.highlandparkmi.gov/Community/McGregor-Public-Library.aspx

For more information about Highland Park City Council, check this page on the Highland Park website: https://www.highlandparkmi.gov/Government/City-Council.aspx