Past Perfect Inc.

06/22/2023

I am excited to be working with Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids neighbors again, the project has been in discussions for years, but we are back with momentum to achieve historic recognition for a neighborhood developed by four African-American families in the early 1960s as a response to rascist red-lining practices. It may be one of the earliest of its type in the state or country - we plan to find out.

02/24/2023

This is really great - deadline is March 12, if you know any historic small restaurant owners please pass this on!

The Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant program, presented by American Express, seeks to support the historic local eateries we love. Learn more.

11/28/2022

It's never too early to teach children about historic preservation!

To help celebrate and honor the 2016 Centennial of the National Park Service (NPS) and the 50th Anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), a "Historic Preservation National Park Service Junior Rangers Activity Book" was created to educate the next generation of historic preservation stewards.

The book aims to teach basic concepts in historic preservation and introduce NPS historic preservation programs to youth. (🏡HABS🏛️ is mentioned on page 13!)

DOWNLOAD your FREE copy of the "Historic Preservation Junior Ranger Activity Book", fun for children 7 and up, at
https://www.nps.gov/articles/upload/NHPAJrRangerBook-2.pdf (6.9 MB .PDF file)

09/22/2021

We were honored to study the history of this site as a part of a team working in this neighborhood. This is historic preservation - it may not look like much, but this site has deep and important history associated with it.

MISHPO is honored to be among the recipients of an Underrepresented Communities program grant from the National Park Service to develop a National Register nomination for Vaughn's Bookstore in .

“As the first Black-owned bookstore in Detroit and a hub of African American journalism and conversation, Vaughn’s Bookstore played a key role in the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s,” said Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Officer Mark A. Rodman. “An important priority of the National Register program is to document those sites associated with significant events that have contributed to broad patterns of our history. We look forward to nominating the property to the National Register as the first step toward its reuse.”

More information about Vaughn's history and this grant award: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2021/09/whitmer-announces-michigan-projects-receive-$65000-to-document-two-significant-civil-rights-sites-in-detroit/

12/15/2020

09/23/2020

This is exciting! Small businesses and smaller projects use this, as well as homeowners ! The bill has bipartisan support - Michigan had this program for years until it was eliminated with many other tax credits by the Snyder administration.This one is a good program that gets historic buildings into use and the recipients must spend quite a bit of money (boosting local economies) to receive a credit. Not a free handout at all, also you can’t flip buildings, you must have a substantial investment and commitment.

𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
Exciting News!

The FY 2021 budget negotiated by the State Legislature and the Governor's office includes $5 Million to fund a State Historic Preservation Tax Credit. The use of the funds is contingent on the passage of Senate Bill 54 and House Bill 4100.

TODAY is the time to contact your Senator and Representative.
Ask for support for the FY2021 Budget AND SB54 or HB4100.

​The Budget Vote is 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘.

Visit www.miimpact.com for more information.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!
REQUEST SUPPORT FOR THE FY 2021 BUDGET AND SENATE BILL 54/HB 4100!

Find your senator here https://www.senate.michigan.gov/fysbyaddress.html

Find your representative here https://www.house.mi.gov/MHRPublic/frmFindaRep.aspx

Help encourage investment in buildings like this one by reaching out to your state legislators NOW!

09/08/2020

Preservation is expanding and all sorts of sites are being recognized - like this one. (We had nothing to do with it and can't take any credit, but interesting!)

Among the recordings made there are "Funkytown," Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and Prince's demos that led to his first contract.

06/15/2020

We provided research and information for this tour, a great app too (not ours, just nice to have grwalks!)

Did you know our 2nd Ward Commissioner Joe Jones has narrated a walking tour focusing on black history? You can download the app for the tour and take a walk! We encourage you to continue educating yourself. http://www.grwalks.com/
DGRI released this a few years ago on this same week to recognize and observe Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration honoring the technical end of slavery in the United States recognized annually on June 19. We know that this did not mean the end of racism or oppression. Let's walk to empathize with and empower our black community.

05/18/2020

Prepare your eyeballs for this gem — a rare 1959 ‘Spartan Carousel’ trailer that, as its name suggests, includes a fabulous circular kitchen. This beauty was spotted for sale in Arizona and posted on the Vintage Mobile Homes for Sale page by midcentury travel trailer enthusiast Pete, ...

05/16/2020

Pickle Barrel House, Grand Marais, Alger County

The Pioneer Cooperage Company of Chicago designed this small vacation cottage, which stood on the shores of nearby Sable Lake from 1926 until about 1937. It was built for William Donahey, creator of the Chicago Tribune cartoon story The Teenie Weenies, which ran from 1914-1970. The house was constructed as a typical barrel would have been, with individual staves, only on a much larger scale. The main barrel contained a living area on the first floor and a bedroom on the second. A pantry connected this barrel to a smaller single-story one, which housed a kitchen.

Donahey spent ten summers at the cottage with his wife, Mary, herself a noted author of children’s books. The structure was then moved to its current site and used as a tourist information center. The Pickle Barrel House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. This SHPO archive photo shows the Pickle Barrel in the 1980s; it has since undergone rehabilitation and is now part of the Grand Marais Historical Society.

03/03/2020

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara founded Grafton Architects in Dublin in 1978. The Pritzker Architecture Prize jury called the two Irish architects "beacons" in a male-dominated field.