Despite the upheaval of the pandemic, the Grosse Pointe Historical Society has worked faithfully toward its mission during 2021. The volunteer leadership and staff made a great deal of progress on many fronts, all of which were possible through the generous support of our funders and the community.
- In 2018 we were forced to leave our storage space in the Schwartz Building when it was sold. Since then, the collections have been stored in low-cost, climate-controlled storage with shelves in the catacombs under Eastland.
- In October of 2021 we were notified that we needed to move the collections again as a new owner had purchased the former Eastland Mall for development.
- Adding to the challenge, we now must remove our collection of more than 4000 blueprints of homes in the Pointes immediately from the space generously provided in the Woods branch of the Grosse Pointe Library as they undertake renovations and changes.
- We have successfully secured space in a newly-constructed, and necessarily climate-controlled storage unit. Of course, both the move and the new space come with new price tags. We have had to acquire proper storage racks and archival storage materials ahead of schedule. The collections will be stored off-site for up to a year in order to thoughtfully stage how they come to a permanent home in the Grosse Pointe History Center.
We know there' s nothing exciting about storage space, containers and mover expenses. But our collections include many unique and exciting things:
- More than 4000 blueprints of homes and buildings.
- Extensive collections by street and address of information about Grosse Pointe homes and neighborhoods.
- Thousands of photographs.
- Journals and scrapbooks, directories, maps, social registers, letters and more.
- Videos, recordings, slides, movies.
- Objects - from a bootlegger's briefcase to a scale model of a lost Grosse Pointe mansion.
- 100s of local books and publications, Club and Society archives and School histories.
The preservation and availability of these items are invaluable resources for homeowners, school curriculum, student studies, newspaper stories, genealogical research, authors, lectures, essays, books, real estate agents, videos, podcasts, and more. When the Grosse Pointe History Center opens researchers and the community will have opportunities like never before to explore and use the collections. Please help the volunteers and staff of GPHS with our core mission: preserving the history of all the Grosse Pointes.
Grosse Pointe history is ongoing; collections continue to grow. Looking ahead, we plan to expand our storage capacity by renovating under-used space in the basement of the Provencal-Weir House, allowing for more efficient access to our collections. However, this will only be possible with your help.
Please help us with your support to protect the artifacts of Grosse Pointe's history! Your generous donation will help us acquire proper storage racks and archival materials and cover the costs of off-site storage and professional movers until the collections can finally settle in a permanent home.
Please respond to our SOS today, and Support Our Storage!
P.S. The tax benefits to donors and non-profit organizations resulting from the CARES Act have been extended through 2021! If you don't itemize on your tax return, you can claim a deduction of up to $600 for cash contributions. For those who do itemize, cash contributions are eligible for a deduction of 100% rather than limited to 60% of AGI. Please help GPHS and save on your taxes!
