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Old School House Project

Archive
Documents and items pertaining to the massive effort by members of the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society to purchase the 1866 Douglas Union School -- then called the Old School House -- and renovate the historic building into the headquarters of the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center. 1. Proposals for purchasing the "Old School House" [OSH] apartment building in 2005, PR committee-binder 2. Gifts, donations to OSH, cancelled checks – papers in clear plastic bag 3. Pledges – papers in two clear plastic bags 4. Campaign plans-fundraising. 5. Community uses, list of contributors- white binder 6. File “a” restoration, bids, bills, architects – paper in clear plastic bags 7. Restoration, design committee, function decisions, task force, list of workers, proposals to buy OSH from Nancy Budd, correspondence with Nancy, attorney, appraisal, title -blue folder 8. Preserve America grant, some campaign, task force - green folder 9. Newspaper clippings-manila file folder 10. Appraisals, title, Nancy Budd, seller-folder 11. Designs and plans-folder 12. Schoolhouse history-folder 13. Donor wall and Haworth-folder 14. CDs/ small brochures in a clear plastic bag 15. Copies of the old school house booklet/book/full color - loose Judy Anthrop sorted these documents, March 27, 2023
A selection of items in this box
School House uses 2006.jpg; early visioning for the repurposed building OSH floor&elect plans-1.jpg 894KB; Old schoolhouse renovation lower level plans and electricals by Fenn's Design Mill

2023.06.11

Built at the end of the American Civil War, the Douglas Union School opened in 1866 with 229 students in four classrooms, grades 1-12, and replaced all the local one-room school houses. In 1957 the Union School was replaced by the current Douglas Elementary and Saugatuck Middle/High School. From 1963 until 2005, the old building found new life as the Old School House apartments. As the City of Douglas became an increasingly popular residential community in the 2000s, the value of the land exceeded the value of the building. Property-owner Nancy Johnson Budd, a preservationist and member of the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society, was concerned about the building’s future. Under threat of sale and demolition, the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society reached an agreement to purchase the building, restore it, and use it for the Society’s expanding community heritage programs and archives. The $1.4 million restoration project was completed in 2012 thanks to hundreds of donors and volunteers. Improvements to the gardens continue today.

SDHS/SDHC general

Winthers, Sally

2023.06

Found in the SDHS/SDHC collection

Donation, unconditional

182 Old School House Project

Lyon, Dottie ?-2019Anthrop, Judy (Bowman)Schmiechen, James A.Carls, KenThieda, HaroldSanford, Peg 1944-Wilcox, Jeff 1946-2024Schmidt, FredBudd, Nancy J. 1922-2010Peters, JohnGebben, KristinDouglas Union School 1866-

03/28/2023

10/06/2024