SAVING OUR ISLAND Preserving Our Past
2011 Updates ..,,...............................About Our History..............................the McNally Cause
On Wednesday, May 19, at 5:00 pm, were invited to give a presentation of our concerns, to the City Council meeting. Immediately following the City Council Meeting, AT 6:00 PM, was reserved the Community Hall for a post-meeting Question & Answer Session. Presented in the Issue Updates above, is the first text of our presentation "On the wisdom of the Past and its Importance to our future" , with the featured accredited expert on historical preservation following, providing resources and direction.
This website is dedicated currently to the first cause of our group, and that is the prevention of the destruction of our heritage downtown. The McNally Cottage which is among the oldest buildings on Main Street, and one of the most amazing stories from our past, is under immediate threat of demolition, which was authorized at a Planning Commission Meeting in October 2009. The Cottage has for 120 years protected the last opening to the Harbor.
Our Group was formed to see if it was possible to Save this building, as well as prevent other buildings from being destroyed with the precedent being set and now in motion...A Hundred Year Commitment of the Downtown which has honored the Past, and Whose traditional Families who have Preserved the largely Wooden Buildings, live and work on Mackinac Island, and who have not once in the last century, destroyed a structurally sound historic building, the honored covenant of these proud and hard working members of our community, is under threat of being broken for the first time in anyone's living memory.
Once broken, and once precedent destroyed, there is an imminent danger without community action, of losing forever this honored commitment to our City's Character, Traditions and Past.Please listen for an Open Discussion of How We as a Community Can Safeguard our Historical Ambience, and Maintain the Atmosphere which has Made Mackinac Island Attractive and Prosperous, about what options are Available to us to Protect This, by the Community. Experts from the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and Past Perfect, will be on hand to Answer Questions and to Make Suggestions and Give Guidance to Resources and Methods Available, for historic preservation.The central role of the Downtown to Our Future as a bridge to Our State's Past and Heritage, is the Issue at Stake. Questions, Concerns, Suggestions All Welcome . . .
Postcards from Our Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Look closely at the postcards from the past, the last from the National Park era, where all these buildings originate from, and you will, if you look closely, realize that nearly all the buildings are still here, including Bailey's store/ Opera house, which still stands less it's tower. This is a place and downtown unlike any other, on Earth. No where can be found such an assembly of old wooden pre-brick & mortar, pre-automobile, pre-modern, truly pioneering structures embedded within the second national park, also historic, as in "Michigan State Historic Parks". All that we are is what is contained in our authenticity.
We are like No where else on this planet...
We are as unique and authentic place to be found any where, with a continuous culture unbroken in time, uniting us to the past. A heritage directly descended from the Victorian era and before, which without even saying so, everyone assumes to be real . . .
We can either embrace it or destroy it.
if destroyed, that direct connection is broken for ever.
people come here because we are real, unlike almost everywhere else. they will see through pretend, if we destroy what is real . . . They want to believe in a place which has character, a place with integrity and a belief in its past. A place that is different.
these wonderful families downtown who have protected this culture
ARE THAT PLACE
| About Historic Preservation | Feedback |
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>Upcoming Meetings< More keeps on being added below, please keep checking back... This will become a resource page, hopefully, for the Community to use to find out more information about all the resources available for historic preservation. The only way for this to occur, is for an open discussion to occur, evaluating the historic value of the impending demolition to the community, its history, traditional culture of preservation, and ambience and reputation to the state and nation. Our group was formed as a result of statements made offering first to WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO KEEP THE LAKEFRONT OPEN followed by STATEMENTS MADE INVITING AN OPEN DISCUSSION OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS. Both of these statements, stated loudly and continuously, a desire to meet the wants, needs, and desires of the community and an open-ness to discuss the merit of keeping our historic ambience. The recent proposition to our community is that reproductions of our ambience are more valuable than our authenticity. people love our antiquated ambience. it is our essence. the national historic landmark designation of our entire community by our entire nation is an honor that we matter. our nation has recognized that as an entire community, not just one building or historic battle field or fort or national park or courthouse or church or an entire street which is the most prominent thing of all, which everyone sees and goes through, we are valuable to our entire nation's history. only historic preservation can make sure this remains our future and historic preservation does allow for alterations and new uses. ASK THE EXPERTS.
our belief is that if the public wants reproductions, there is Las Vegas. Any notion we can compete with that is utter insanity. there is a simulated Venice there. one providing the "experience". imagine the real Venice, and think what people say when asked why they visit? they would say, "for the romance, for the beauty" and would probably not bother to say historic, why should they? IT IS ASSUMED. as with Venice, does anyone still seriously contend they do not know it is historic? people enter a harbor within full view of a fort surrounded by ancient docks, ancient buldings, and a historic national park (our nation's 2nd) and a Main Street most prominently old. As with Venice, many traveling there will not be aware of the merchants formation of a navy to protect trade sparking the renaissance, but they know it is "old" and historic. how could they possibly not?? Imagine if told, "oh, by the way, we tore down old buildings and replaced them with ones that looked old, antiquated, and historic and did not protect our past?" I think a term might be not only "shock" but how could such a decision been made?? The open discussion afforded by the decision of all parties favoring such, is the issue. Do we have an open discussion? The development company has stated that we should. And the imaginary Venice will never hold a candle to the real thing, nor can anything ever outshine it, or destroy it. Anywhere in the world,at investor dominated destinations, close to populations, international airports, major transportation routes, can openly compete to be fake, nothing can compete ever with the real thing. EVER. We are more amazing than Venice. We have the potential if we maintain our authenticity to be named a world heritage site. if we lose historic landmark status, not a chance ever. Our future is unlimited if we embrace our past and wed ourselves to its implications. Otherwise we are doomed. nothing can prevent the destruction of any building at any time. Nothing.
only in an open community discussion framework afforded by a serious statement, which is democratic by nature, and has to involve the support of the downtown, can we decide what our future can and should be. AMERICA IS A DEMOCRACY. An open community discussion is what is being proposed. If we can afford a community discussion, we can try to provide resources to all, about questions raised about historic preservation, what it means and what a community can do if it tries to preserve its ambience. Resources are Available provided by the State of Michigan, the United States Government, and National Organizations including Michigan Organizations, which offer free resources as well as volunteers who give advice, and state and national government career experts, independent professional experts, for Communities such as Ours with Rich Traditions and a History of Caring...
Coming very soon... Links will be provided,
please watch for future improvements and as always please feel free to offer suggestions and give advice but please be kind, we are doing the best we can and know that we make mistakes and will learn from them, please provide us wise council and in caring, we can work harder to make things work, for everyone. we assume the best in everyone, as we all have come to the place we are, and that place changes with how we interact and what we learn from each other and from past generations...
1-866-MAC-ISLE
(click here)
MHPN - www.mhpn.org SHPO – www.michigan.gov/shpo NTHP – www.preservationnation.org |
Please believe that it is possible that we will open up to anyone as a community who will work to achieve goals of our community, and that as Americans we can Achieve Anything. According to Candy Dunnigan, who knew the family, at the Planning Commission Meeting last October, the McNally family had 16 inheritors, splitting responsibility and resources, and making it impossible for them to work to make money, which we perhaps contradicted below. Candy, who herself operates profitably a bed and breakfast (the actually oldest tradition for visitors on the island), called int0 contention that the cottage is not profitable as did the representative of the development company's contention of a $2 million dollar worth of a renovated cottage. Many have pointed out to us that the loss of the bit of nature afforded by the sideyard of McNally as well as the last opening to the harbor, which the Cottage historically protected, would be a catastrophic loss to the ambience and desirability of the downtown, and for us, a closing off of a viable real ability to open the Harbor. If there is any possibility to purchase the side yard, making the cottage a fully utilized 2 story structure as predominantly the rest of the Downtown is, this can only come about by an open Community discussion, allowing the opportunity which the developer has openly stated he is willing to do, to allow the community to raise funds to save what we treasure (which he said at meetings where he gained approval for these plans,he would offer to work together with us to keep the lake open), and to make the Cottage fully work, and preserve the side yards so treasured by many in the Community. Our group came into existence as a result of these words by the developer, offering to sell to the Community. He offered publicly to sell the lake front lot. He has said he is open to a debate about the McNally. Do these words have any meaning? Only through a vigorous open community discussion, can anything be achieved, the wants and desires of the community, the future of our children. We believe this Community could achieve this, and only if allowed a chance to try, is this possible. The last bit of nature downtown and access to the Harbor, is overwhelmingly desired by the local population, based upon our conversations with Community members. The development company has said they will work with the community. Anyone who has actually been in the Cottage knows, this is actually a massive building, with far more interior space than is apparent from the outside. It nearly fully utilizes the center of the lot, and a community movement to purchase to save the sideyards, could mean more, and historic preservation does not mean that the cottage could not be extended back, to create even more rooms than the 9 it already has. It is possible that the City Architect could meet with the developer to discuss how historic preservation could work even better, in combination with a community effort to keep open the only trees in existence downtown, and the only opening to the lake. The developer, if he honored his words, and did this, would be a HERO to everyone. He has challenged us all to be heroes, and we believe this community capable of doing so, all of us. Further Feedback comments are now here: these speak to the value of the island to the people of the state of its authenticity, character, and charm. -------------------------------------------- (the following is a plea that ultimately the destruction of our character will destroy us) "THE RICH MAN AND POSTERITY (This is about hope:) An amazing person has more than he imagined in the two palms of his two hands, remember at these meetings what a famous person once said, in paraphrase more or less: "what defiles a man is not what goes into his mouth but what comes out of it" He was referring to being condemned by others for drinking, but what it means we think is that when you say something bad about someone, or maybe when you say anything, be very careful about what it says about you. just one of the comments at the meeting apparently stated that the McNally family for 50 years never put 50 cents toward improving the property. Knowing reality, this is truly a disgusting thing to say. This family,the McNally's, which never actually in reality got FOR themselves 50 cents toward benefiting themselves FROM it while they lovingly maintained it, made sure that it was freshly painted at all times, which it is NOT any more now. Members of the family lovingly cared for it for really nothing to themselves, just chipping in as family members do, to all of our benefit, not for just 50 years but nearly 120! Such a statement, whoever said it, will reek for all eternity, to all of us who respected others, especially a family with roots, like the Doud's to the 1840's which the McNallys have also such roots, newcomers compared to the members of this group, but respected greatly, for the services they have given to us. And lovingly respected for working on behalf of the island we love. and of course for keeping the beach open. We love and respect and praise them for all time. --------------------------------------------------------- "A FAILED POEM BUT HOPEFULLY NOT FAILED DESTINY A man came to town and wandered around and around, In arguing against preservation, another comment said that in essence that the history of Europe was far more important than our own insignificant history here as it is so much older. We have not educated well and need to remind that we had the first true republic in the history of the world, and everyone in the world now looks to US. We have an amazing, remarkable, and inspiring past and great things lie ahead, some even occurring now? --------------------------------------------------------- another comment appears to be that because wood rots, we cannot preserve history here. We need to remind that there is a building called the Grand Hotel, as there are many other buildings spread all over our country made largely of wood, historically important, with active restoration (and government assistance to those who will bother to care for the past), one of which is a central building to our community, St. Anne's Catholic Church, a place where we mark the passage of time. And we do need the reminder. Unpainted wood rots, which the McNally house now has, her exterior paint coat peeling exposing what was for so long carefully painted, but now neglected, which is a reason for urgency and concern. And fear. This is not ultimately a game. |