CALUMET, Mich. (WZMQ) – In Calumet the main street is lined with aging and unoccupied buildings in need of restoration.
“We want to see every building in Calumet occupied and really actively used,” said Main Street Calumet Executive Director Leah Polzien. “We do have a certain number of properties that are underutilized and we want to correct that.”
So a coalition of local organizations have formed the “Bring Back Calumet” initiative to help redevelop the downtown. One way they’re doing it is bey working with developers like Jim and Janet Johnston and their company New Route Investments to help turn older buildings into shiny new apartments.
“This building wasn’t the nicest building, but we saw potential in it,” said Jim referring to their most recent project.
“There was still a lot of its old history,” said Janet. “The tin ceilings, most of them were still here, it was structurally sound, but it needed a lot of love.”
Polzien said housing projects like the Johnstons’ are vital to the community.
“When we see a building redeveloped it really allows those residents to come to our downtown who have expendable income, who are going to be out shopping downtown, who are going to boost foot traffic in all of our restaurant’s and stores, and create that lively atmosphere that we want to see in our community,” said Polzien.
Another way they’re redeveloping is by restoring historic downtown buildings like the Ruppe building, which is over a century old.
“This building was a hub for the area’s retail, business, and shopping,” said Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance Executive Director Jeff Ratcliffe. “It was a department store going from prior to the turn of the century till about 1983 or 84.”
Ratcliffe said preserving the historic buildings’ original style is key to restoring the village’s economy.
“If we lose these buildings you’ll never have them back, so their unique architecture, the facades, they’re desired by the community, by people,” said Ratcliffe. “So by holding on to them and redeveloping and rehabilitating them we are actually going to be improving the draw of this community and its economy.”
For more information about the Bring Back Calumet initiative, check out the Keweenaw Community Foundation website.