Will Mr. 'reluctant' Happy Feet dance? C'mon
“We shape our buildings and…our buildings shape us.”
WINSTON CHURCHILL
**Churchill said this after World War II, stressing how important rebuilding and restoring is to the economy of a street, a city, a nation. And of course, people.
OUR STORY:
See a stately magnificent building and PEOPLE’S heads snap around. What
secrets does it know? What musings can it tell? Did Al Capone hide any stash in
those glossy gilded vaults inside? After all, he and his gang vacationed in southwest Michigan. Hey, the first time I saw it, MY head snapped around. Still does. Every time I look at this amazing historical bank building that sits on Main Street in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Huge circular corrugated pillars that seem to climb to the sky. Rectangular white terra cotta blocks fading but still gleaming from it, like it’s a twinkling star or something. And a roofline with pointy pediment, a clock resting just below its apex. Oh, but that clock way up there…without hands, not telling time right now… may be telling us that unless we come together at an apex, maybe this amazing icon’s slipping away from us. A year from now? Perhaps two. A crumble and a peel at a time. And once it’s gone, it may be gone forever. We’re in DANGER of LOSING it! And want to do something about 92 WEST MAIN NOW!
So…before it takes its rightful place in a revitalizing area, an emerging “arts district,” before it becomes a center for award-winning live theater, event space, and non-for-profit photography gallery for students and local photographers to showcase their work, before it makes room on the lower level for retail and commerce, we believe – FAÇADE FIRST -- or it’s GONE! Please help SAVE this beloved piece of neo-classical architecture, in the heart of the city, from the wrecking ball! Stop 92 WEST MAIN’s face from cracking and peeling. Save it so we all can snap our heads around and gawk. Rejoice. And admire. Together.
SHERRY MILLER
We want to have fun while doing this, so…
Reach our goal perk: WE PROMISE TO DANCE IN FRONT OF THE FARMERS AND MERCHANTS BUILDING WHEN WE REACH OUR GOAL. CAN WE ENCOURAGE TOM TO DO IT? GO THROUGH WITH IT? SEE OUR ENTERTAINING VIDEO. WATCH FOR UPDATES. KEEP POSTED. WE’LL GET HIM TO DANCE YET.
Now for the really serious stuff...
About Saving the F and M
Time is ticking. Two, maybe even one year from now, it may be too late! But there’s still a chance to save the magnificent historical Farmers and Merchants Bank building. Beloved icon for more than 100 years, it sits stately at 92 West Main Street in Benton Harbor, Michigan. What an amazing place. It’s exciting! It’s revitalizing! Once threatening a ghost town, and after years of disrepair, the entire city’s in makeover mode, emerging as an arts district frequented by artists, dancers, musicians, photographers, and visitors. It’s bordered by St. Joseph, a thriving romantic tourist town right on Lake Michigan and a developing marina district on the St. Joseph River which boasts a brand new Jack Nicklaus Golf Course - Harbor Shores. It was proudly the site of the 73rd Senior PGA Golf Championship presented by KitchenAid in May 2012. And the Senior PGA will host the 75th in May, 2014. And good news. Recently, the PGA announced it will happen again in 2016 and 2018. But the F and M is falling behind all this progress. That’s important to know because restoration of the F and M will benefit the entire community and have a positive economic impact. We need your help to bring it back to life. And restore it to its original historic neo-classical beauty.
Its History
The F and M has a story to tell. It was established in 1888. By 1911, the owners (the O.B. Hipp name remains etched in stone East of the building to this day) gave it its present look: white terra cotta blocks, massive corrugated pillars, curlicue design at the roofline, and a pointy pediment housing a clock. Though long gone, the interior was finished in Italian marble and mahogany. Imagine the early 1900’s…A car hooded by a surrey-like canvas pulls up to 92 West Main. Women in big-brimmed hats and ankle-length dresses slide out of a speedster, maybe a roadster, followed by men dressed in top hats, taking a peek at their pocket watches. They enter the front doors talking, smiling. Perhaps they pause to admire the terra cotta blocks and architecture.
Disrepair; Fixing it
Nowadays, the F and M still enjoys admiring glances from passersby in Chevrolets, Fords, Chryslers, maybe a Honda or two. This building simply turns heads. But a closer look reveals pieces of terra cotta crumbling, pillars cracking and chipping, and the curlicues and pediment attracting birds keen on making this icon their home. Its bright face is fading. The owners did due diligence. They applied for grants but the money for those was scarce. They completed major repairs and renovations: a new roof drain system, stairway to the attic creating roof access, scraping, spackling, and painting walls, even shoveling and drying out the basement after a flood. And they installed netting to hold the terra cotta in place at the top of the pillars. “The upkeep has been a challenge,” says Tom Miller, co-owner and member of Smarts LLC (south of Main Arts). “But we keep on going.”
A Bigger Vision
Smarts has a bigger vision. As a writer, author, and award-winning playwright, Sherry Miller, a member, sees an “original works” theater showcasing award-winning children’s plays and experimental works; a creative place where talented writers will develop their scripts on the second floor. “We’d like to engage the local Benton Harbor High School for extracurricular classes/events as well as tap into local talent,” says Sherry. “And after initial development here, award-winning plays can find a full production home at the local high school’s state-of-the-art theater, or at colleges and universities.” The vision includes an event center, film studios, writer studios, classrooms, even retail and restaurant space. Renovated and ready right now is a hall for a non-for-profit photography gallery, a section of which will be dedicated to a
museum with pictorial history of Benton Harbor. Amazing people live and work in the Benton Harbor Arts District. Because of their dedication, businesses are breathing life back into the community. There’s WaterStreet Glassworks (a success story giving students and artists an opportunity to learn glassblowing), the renowned Citadel Dance and Music Center, fashion shops, resale stores, art galleries (e.g. the world renowned artist; Richard Hunt’s studio), antique shops, offices, workout studio, the Livery Brewery, and many restaurants including Babe’s, Bread Bar, Chatterbox, Euneek Bakery, The Ideal Place, The Library, Lark’s Barbeque, Piggin’ and Grinnin’, and the Phoenix Café. Cornerstone (chamber of commerce), housed in another bank building behind the F and M, continues to play a prominent role encouraging entrepreneurs and supporting this community. And the New Territory Arts Association resides here. It just keeps on growing.
**NOTE: We’d like to see a culinary arts school here, too.
What Will It Take To ‘Save 92 West Main?’
People like you. Who believe in us. And our vision. And who believe in preserving history and architectural beauty. Our restoration project is divided into three (3) phases: fix and restore the façade, renovate space for theater and events, and repair and replace the elevator, electrical systems, and windows. Estimates show it will total more than $150,000 to implement all three. A good start. So for right now, we are focusing on the first phase – the façade. Our goal? For the façade to be repaired for the next Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid in May, 2014. And wouldn’t it be nice to surpass our goal allowing us to start the second phase at the same time? “When we first saw the F and M, we were mesmerized. Like those folks in 1911. Like those passersby today,” Sherry Miller offers. “A feeling of wanting to save it overwhelmed us. We originally invested in it to keep a gym from purchasing it. We just knew this building was more than sweaty workouts and treadmills. The F and M is meant to be admired like the treasure it once was.” We can do this. We can save 92 West Main.
Why Do We Need Money? And What for?
We, Smarts and Millers, extended our own resources to keep up with multiple repairs and tapped into our own personal finances. But a project of this magnitude requires so much more than what we’re able to give upfront. We’ve done estimates for these major renovations and they exceed $150,000. After deciding to concentrate on the first phase – the façade, we did a breakdown of costs for this campaign:
PHASE ONE:
Approximately,
$9,000 –
Marketing/Web/Media/Visual Media/Administrative. We will have some volunteers/interns available to help defray this cost.
$46,000 –
Masonry, historically restoring the façade. (estimate available)
$3,000 –
Work to ready the Hallway Walk of Fame (scrape, spackle, paint). Any additional monies are allotted to dividing the electricity into individual units. And replacing windows. A certain amount of labor donated by Tom Miller and volunteers.
_________
$58,000 – Total start-up required.
**We are absorbing other costs such as some promotion, some writing, and administrative. We have offers from volunteers and are thrilled.
Who Are We?
This IndieGoGo campaign was initiated by Smarts LLC, originally founded by Tom Miller, Sherry Miller, the Motts and R. Vance, and one silent partner (former school teacher) and supported by various arts affiliates locally and across the country, a big part by those associated with theater. Local BH entrepreneurs and community leaders also support this project. And have supported many of our grant applications and petitions. Smarts now is reduced to three (3) members.
Are Contributions Tax Deductible?
No. With the possibility of private investors in this building’s future and offering room for retail space as well as non-for-profit theater and non-for-profit Photography and pictorial museum wing, and because this project is not registered as a 501 ( c ) 3 non-for-profit and time restraints associated with doing that, contributions are not tax deductible. More details about the Farmers and Market Building and “Save 92 West Main” can be found on the website “Save 92 West Main.com”
E-mail: save92westmain@gmail.com. Also find this campaign on Facebook: Facebook.com/BentonHarborRenaissance. Or type in: “Save 92 West Main.”
HELP US BY GETTING THE WORD OUT! PASS THIS ON!
Team On This Campaign:
Sherry Miller – writer, author, award-winning playwright, lover of the arts.
Tom Miller – Technical, painter, and engineer. And reluctant Mr. Happy Feet.
Julee Laurent - Media, pre-launch
Ugly Dog Media – Social Media, online campaign manager. South Bend, Indiana.
Pladook - head CFO (chief food officer), mascot
Dan Blacharski - Founder and top dog
Staff:
Charoenkwan Blacharski or BE - VP, dog feeder, journalist, author, poet,
photographer
Chris McKim -
Brianna Watts - Graphic Designer, Web Designer, creative specialist
Monica Sherck - Graphic Designer
Doug Clark – videographer, Capture Me Films/Doug Clark Creative. Musician, song-writer, working on BH documentary.
Linda Dornseif – Actress, “Queenie” the Harlequin Clown, and at times, a volunteer.
A silent partner
Interns/Volunteers
