2024 Advocacy Award

This year, the Committee is excited to make this award to the Bring Back Calumet initiative. This initiative is composed of a large partnership of several non-profit organizations and governmental agencies that together have demonstrated exceptional cooperation and dedication to maintain and create futures for the historic buildings. The Village of Calumet had long suffered by demolition-by-neglect, but most recently Calumet has faced new threats to its nationally significant historic village. A significant spike in tourism and high-tech business expansion is threatening the historic built environment, in short through flipping historic properties, or tearing them down to make way for new amenities and infrastructure. The Bring Back Calumet initiative formed in 2016 to keep the stabilization and rehabilitation of historic buildings at the center of the town’s development plans. Since its creation the Bring Back Calumet has garnered over $9 million in public and private investments and rehabilitated 10 historic properties downtown. These efforts have also earned the Bring Back Calumet initiative the State of Michigan Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation. 

This award is being presented to a group of people. Nikki L’Esperance from the Calumet Downtown Development Authority, John Haeussler on behalf of Lisa Mattila from the Houghton County Land Bank Authority, Sam Stonelake on behalf of Jeff Ratcliffe from the Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance, Wyndeth Davis from the Keweenaw National Historical Park, Glenn Anderson from Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission, Leah Polzien from Main Street Calumet, and Megan Haselden from the Village of Calumet.

2024 Advocacy Award Committee: Catherine Morrissey, Sam Palfreyman, and Bobby Cervantes.