A $100,000 grant is set to move exterior masonry repairs forward at the Alpha Porter Gym in Alpha, Michigan, as local leaders work to preserve the century-old building and reopen it as a community center.
The funding, awarded through the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office’s Rural Heritage Partnership Grant Program, is intended to support reconstruction and repair of damaged exterior masonry so the gym can be made weathertight and protected from further deterioration. The program distributed about $673,000 to eight rural Michigan communities using one-time funding tied to the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program administered by the National Park Service.
Project manager Lydia Novitsky said the grant will allow the nonprofit to repair brick on the historic gym and keep the work aligned with preservation requirements. The Porter School complex, built in 1914 and planned around the Alpha Mine, sits on County Road 424. The gymnasium was added later and has served the community for years. The gym is estimated at roughly 1,800 to 2,200 square feet, and includes a kitchen and locker rooms.
For mason contractors and restoration crews, the story is a familiar one. Stabilizing the building envelope comes first. In this case, roofs on the school and gym have already been replaced, and exterior trim work has been completed. With the roof addressed, masonry repairs can focus on keeping bulk water out and preventing the kind of long-term saturation that can damage interiors and structure.
Work is continuing inside, too. Electricity has been restored, a water-damaged ceiling has been repaired, plumbing work is underway, and window repairs and interior painting are progressing. The original gym floor was removed last year after extensive water damage, and the project team says new flooring will need to wait until plumbing issues are resolved and a heating system is installed and funded. A recently completed mural also restored artwork originally painted in the 1960s.
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