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1331 Holden Street – Life is a Dreamtroit
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Historic Windows
As with all historic projects, the windows are a major part of the character of the building and therefore require a great deal of attention. This was no different at Holden with a great deal of research, field measuring and coordination with a manufacturer to get the details right and included in the drawing set. Where the situation became even more complicated, was during the bidding phase when our preferred manufacturer came in higher than another, and the Owners decided to go with the lower cost option who claimed they could match the same details. It became evident during a lengthy shop drawing review process that this was not the case, as the new manufacturer was unable to recreate certain aspects of our details easily and KDG had to be involved in multiple brainstorming sessions to come up with altered details that worked with the new window system and still meet the historic requirements. We eventually arrived at a version that was approved by National Park Service.
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Pre-Renovation Exterior of 1331 Holden St.
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Front façade of 1331 Holden Street in 1918
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Condition of windows prior to renovation
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Masonry / Structure
Masonry has been a moving target throughout the construction process. Not only had years of neglect caused significant damage to the exterior façades, but due to the added-on-to nature of the building structure, with new buildings and infills being tacked on over its history, unforeseen damage was uncovered as demo took place. Historic masonry walls that had been hidden behind retrofitted construction and large bales of recycling for years were now being exposed and evaluated. It’s because of these challenges that KDG, Resurget and MiG have had to work so closely to formulate unique solutions to problems not seen on other typical projects. An example of this occurred in the historic office building of the complex, during demolition of the first-floor space, a large load bearing masonry wall was discovered buried deep in a wall. There was no record we could find of what this wall was historically, but from what we could surmise, it appeared to be an old shaft of some kind, that was demo’ed just enough to open up the floor plan but still hold up the floor above, with the surrounding floor structure poorly scabbed together. Resurget and MiG not only had to figure out the new structure for the second floor once the wall came out, but more importantly they had to determine how to shore the existing structure so the wall could be removed safely first.
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Modifications after a masonry bearing wall was discovered
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Environmental Mitigation
Due to the industrial nature of the site, careful testing and considerations must be given to spaces that are going to be enclosed and occupied. During the design phase, an environmental team tested the entire site and identified three areas that contained soil contaminants at levels high enough to require some form of mitigation. These systems are complex and must be tailored to each individual space as well as coordinated with the architecture and utilities. The system implemented at Holden involved running perforated piping underneath the existing slab which was connected to a fan on the roof creating negative pressure and venting any harmful vapors out of the sub slab before it gets a chance to infiltrate the occupied spaces. This system posed 3 challenges to be coordinated. First, the spaces this system was being implemented in had a good deal of sub slab plumbing to be installed as well, which all had to be located much deeper so not to interfere with the mitigation system. Second, the path for the vertical risers had to be carefully considered so they would not interfere with any of the residential unit layouts. Lastly, the rooftop fans not only had to be located in a logical spot that could connect to the vertical risers, but they had to be located far enough away from any fresh air vents servicing the building AND be located far enough away from the edge of the roof line so they would not be seen from the ground which is a requirement for historic. All of these factors attributed to a lengthy coordination session between KDG and the environmental engineers, but the resulting system met all requirements needed. |
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Trenches for vapor mitigation system
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Sojourner Truth Historic Homes
Sometimes history is hidden in plain sight – an adage exemplified by Detroit’s own Sojourner Truth Homes. The unassuming looking brick apartment buildings which make up the Sojourner Truth Homes are in fact a nationally significant Civil Rights related site. KDG is currently completing the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Sojourner Truth Homes and is delighted to see such an important historic site gain recognition.
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Family moving into Sojourner Truth Homes, presumably April 1942
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The Sojourner Truth Homes were constructed in 1942 as defense worker housing for Black workers during World War II. Permanent public housing was rarely allocated to Black war workers, who were often confined to subpar temporary units or left to find their own housing in overcrowded racial enclaves, like Detroit’s former Black Bottom neighborhood. The allocation of the Sojourner Truth Homes for Black workers by the federal government represented a significant step forward in the quest for fair housing, fair employment, and equal treatment.
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UAW advertisement regarding the need for additional war worker housing (Lack of housing was leading to absenteeism on the job)
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Michigan National Guard present as the first Black families move into the Sojourner Truth Homes despite protest from neighboring white residents
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The designation of the housing project for Black tenants was met with great resistance and protest from neighboring white residents and the racial conflict which ensued at the project is considered one of the main contributors to the 1943 Detroit Race Riot. The government’s eventual decision to allocate the Sojourner Truth Homes to Black workers despite outrage from White neighbors represented a victory to many and provided a precedent for fighting discrimination within defense worker housing and in public housing in general nationwide.
Today, the Sojourner Truth Homes are owned by the Detroit Housing Commission and are still utilized as public housing.
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Image of Sojourner Truth Homes today, courtesy Detroit Housing Commission
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Ossian Sweet House
The relatively simple exterior of the one-and-a-half story Craftsman bungalow located at 2905 Garland Avenue on Detroit’s eastside belies its status as one of the most important Civil Rights sites in Detroit. In 1925 on September 8th through 9th, Black physician Dr. Ossian Sweet attempted to move into the house with his family but was met with fierce, racially fueled resistance. While Dr. Sweet, his wife Gladys, and a group of friends sheltered inside, a White mob surrounded the house and pelted the roof and windows with rocks and bricks. The Sweet family and their friends attempted to defend the house, and, in the melee, a White man was shot and killed. Dr. Sweet and the others were arrested and charged with murder. While Dr. Sweet was imprisoned local Black attorneys rallied to Dr. Sweet’s defense and the local chapter of the NAACP began coordinating with the national NAACP to hire preeminent criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow.
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Historic Photograph of the Dr. Ossian Sweet House, undated
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Photograph of Dr. Ossian Sweet, undated
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The ensuing trail was news nationwide and the inability of the prosecution to convict Dr. Sweet made headlines throughout the country. The trial The People v. Ossian Sweet, Gladys Sweet, et. al., was one of the most important early Civil Rights cases as it laid the foundation for the principal that Black citizens were equally entitled to safety and security in their home. At a time of rampant racism, discrimination, and segregation, this case stood for equality under the eyes of the law by showing that a Black man would not be criminally convicted for taking reasonable actions to defend his home. The trial and publicity it generated provided the groundwork for the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund which would go on to file and win some of the most important Civil Rights cases of the twentieth century including Brown v. Board of Education.
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Current Photograph of the Dr. Ossian Sweet House, 2020
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Kraemer Design Group just concluded writing an update to the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Dr. Ossian Sweet House. The update to the National Register contains far more detail about the history and significance of this site and KDG is proud to have been a part of the project. Today the City of Detroit is working with the current owner to renovate the house to create a museum at the site to further educate visitors on the history and importance of what happened here in 1925.
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Current Photograph of the Dr. Ossian Sweet House, 2020
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On the Subject of Historic Tax Credits
At KDG, we believe the sustainability of any given project is determined by the balancing of several forces including environmental impact, community heritage, occupant health, financial viability, and future growth. We’re committed to positively influencing our communities and we strive to develop enduring design solutions.
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As buildings account for a large portion of energy and resource consumption, the construction industry is uniquely positioned to support resource conservation. One of the primary ways we uphold this principle at KDG is through the sustainable redevelopment of obsolete and underutilized structures. There is a substantial amount of embodied energy in existing buildings, as well as an ability to capitalize on existing site infrastructure. By redeveloping these structures, we can utilize the inherent value of existing resources and thereby reduce the consumption of new ones; all while preserving and enhancing the urban fabric that embodies the history of our communities.
The economic and cultural value generated from historic tax credits has a proven record of providing a catalyst to the resurgence of business districts and neighborhoods in communities throughout the US over the past several decades.
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A large percentage of KDG’s projects are historic tax credit projects and are a substantial portion of all historic tax credit projects in Michigan. Specifically, KDG projects comprised 51% of the federal historic tax credits secured for Michigan projects in 2020. The total qualifying restoration expenses (QRE) on those KDG projects amounts to $27.6M. This engagement comes with different roles on different projects: we provide a variety of services for historic tax credit projects from historic consulting to architectural design and code consulting.
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Over the five years from 2016-2020, the total value of federal historic tax credits secured on KDG projects totals $382M. In addition to that, $135M in federal historic tax credits were secured on KDG projects in 2021. There is over $718M in federal historic tax credits in the pipeline based on the estimated QREs on KDG projects currently underway.
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Exciting news for historic development in Ohio. Their state tax credit program was recently increased from $60 million to $120 million for the next two years, and the project cap is $10 million instead of $5 million.
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A message from Historic Project Architect, Team Lead Laura Mitchell:
“Excited to finally welcome to the world William Christopher Mitchell, born at 12:37 PM Saturday, March 5th! He’s 8 lbs 2 oz and 20 1/2 inches ♥️”
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- REINVENTING PUBLIC SPACE: In Business Improvement Districts,
Case Studies of Public/Private Interface at the Building Façade
This Friday, March 24 11:15 – 12:30 pm
Presenter: Brian Rebain
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“The symposium is a review of how public/private partnership civic groups are implementing public infrastructure work. These groups are funded by public dollars, nonprofit foundations, special tax levies, and voluntary memberships of private business. The money is then used to enhance the public environment with innovative design ideas to promote the public pedestrian experience.”
- MHPN Webinar: In the Wrightian Mold: Harold Turner in Michigan
Thursday, April 28 1:00 pm
Presenter: Cassandra Talley
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Harold Turner was an accomplished contractor and builder who worked under Frank Lloyd Wright for six years from 1936 to 1942. Traveling around the U.S. for Wright, Turner built some of Wright’s largest and most impressive residential structures
- MHPN Conference Presentation “Surveying Kalamazoo, Together”
Wednesday, May 11 3:15 – 4:15 pm
Presenters: Lillian Candela, Cassandra Talley, and Sharon Ferraro (former Historic Preservation Coordinator for the City of Kalamazoo)
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“Discover strateges to not only conduct a historic resource survey but to engage, empower, and involve community residents in the process. Learn how community engagement has played a critical role in the ongoing historic surveys in the City of Kalamazoo – specifically in the Edison neighborhood.”
- MHPN Conference Presentation “Soaring Atriums: Challenges in Rehabilitation”
Friday, May 13 4:00 – 5:15 pm
Presenters: Brian Rebain, Lillian Candela, Cassandra Talley
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“Grand, open lobbies are often significant defining features of historic buildings that pose a series of challenges during rehabilitation. Using a series of case studies in Detroit and Flint, these challenges will be explored, along with the end result when project teams work together to preserve historic places.”
- City of Inkster Public Engagement Meeting
Date and Time and Location TBD (Late April somewhere in Inkster)
Presenters: Cassandra Talley and Lillian Candela
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Cassandra and Lillian will be scheduling a public meeting to present on the ongoing historic survey of African American housing in Inkster from 1920-1970. The purpose of the meeting is to make residents aware of the survey as well as to solicit public input.
Note: Both MHPN presentations are taking place at the MHPN 2022 Annual Conference in Holly, Michigan. Early Bird Registration ends April 5, 2022 at 6pm. One can register at registration.mhpn.org and also register to livestream the conference instead of attending in person.
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