  Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 105 Registered: 02-2007 |
In case anyone is interested, The Historic Fort Wayne Coalition is hosting Civil War Days this weekend, July 6th thru the 8th, at historic Fort Wayne in Detroit. There will be a large contingent of re-enactors, both Union and Confederate (300+!), mock battle engagements, live-fire cannon demonstrations (see over seven different types and sizes of cannon!), and historical interpreters (Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Governor Blair, etc.)giving speaches or interpretations of the characters that they are portraying. Also, many areas of the Fort have been restored or are undergoing extensive restoration by members of the Coalition, who have put in, this year, over 2000 volunteer hours to help restore this gem of Detroit's history. Come out and see the total restoration of the Blacksmith's Shop, Casemates, and for the first time since 1991, see the interior of the Post Commander's House, an 1860's era period restored structure!In addition, the Tuskegee Airmen Museum will be open to the public for tours. Come out and enjoy a great experience that you could only experience in Detroit!! Everyone is welcome!! | ||
Frumoasa Member Username: Frumoasa Post Number: 33 Registered: 03-2007 |
I love going to Fort Wayne when it is open. Sounds like fun! | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3953 Registered: 10-2003 |
Great opportunity to see a must-see Detroit site. The fabulous [recovering] ruins of Fort Wayne. Re-enactors are amazing to watch too. I miss the bygone days when they had the cannon shooting contests on the big parade ground SW of the fort. 8 or 10 cannon teams shooting a 1 x 1 foot targets 200 yards away is a sight to behold. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 3321 Registered: 10-2004 |
Wasn't Lowell protesting the War of Northern Aggression outside the exburb sprawl of Fort Wayne back during the 1860s? | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 106 Registered: 02-2007 |
Lowell- Thanks for the opportunity to get this out! I finally received my copy of the itinerary, so here are the times for the events planned (both Saturday and Sunday): 1.) Gates open at 9:00am. 2.) Cannon Demo at 11:00am. 3.) Cavalry Demo at 11:30am. 4.) Battle from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. 5.) Saturday following battle (approx. 3:30pm). Memorial to the Fallen Soldier-A memorial for those who have gone before us-a glimpse of a Civil War era memorial ceremony. 6.) Saturday night only: Night fire & Candle walk tour, open to Special Public Viewing, 8:30- 9:30pm. 7.) Civilian interpreters on-going from 10:00am to 1:45pm inside of Building 112A. I also found out that there will be an entire calvary division that will be showing-up this year (horses and all!!) and they will participate in the battle engagements. According to the itinerary that the Coalition put out, this should be one of the biggest events that the Fort has hosted in quite some time!! Although not actually firing rounds, the cannon demos should still be awesome as they will give you an idea of what the sights and sounds would have been like! There will also be tours of the Fort grounds and the Star Fort by trained tour guides available at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm each day. Tour cost is $3.00 per person and now includes many areas that were previously inaccessible to the public. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2363 Registered: 10-2003 |
Hey, Plymouthres!! Hope this weekend is a lot of fun and very successful!! Dave and I and our sons will be in Gettysburg on Friday and Saturday (our first visit there in 10 years) to take in the battlefield park and a day of the annual reenactment. Should be a fine time too! | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 107 Registered: 02-2007 |
Kathleen- I hope that you and Dave are doing well!! It's nice to hear from you again. Enjoy Gettysburg - I was there for the 125th anniversary of the battle and it was an awesome experience!! There is a ton of history there, too, so take in as much as you can!! Please be safe and make sure to write when you get back and give us an update! Take care! PlymouthRes | ||
Hardhat Member Username: Hardhat Post Number: 206 Registered: 10-2003 |
Bump. The family and I are going. Looks like a great day for it. | ||
Blueidone Member Username: Blueidone Post Number: 102 Registered: 03-2007 |
Headed down there today with my grandkids...hope to meet Plymouthres and enjoy the history! I took my son there when he was young...it's his son's turn. Have a great Sunday everyone! | ||
Hardhat Member Username: Hardhat Post Number: 207 Registered: 10-2003 |
We had a lot of fun at Civil War Days. The cannon demonstrations were cool, and the simulated battle was fun to watch. We pitied the poor "soldiers" and ladies and gentlemen who had to sweat it out in their period garb. As someone who hadn't been to the fort since 1991 or so, I was encouraged and saddened after taking the tour of the fort and some of the structures on the grounds. The Tuskegee Airmen museum was well-done, and there was a really knowlegeable guide. A few of the structures were open to the public, like the Commandant's Headquarters and soldier's barracks, and their interiors rivaled anything you'd see at Greenfield Village. Thank God the fort itself was built like a fort, because most of it seems to be in good condition. Sadly, some of the roofs on a few of the buildings were obviously compromised, and our guide said one building near the front gate would be demolished and the future of two or three other buildings was questionable. Many thanks to the coalition for their work trying to renovate Fort Wayne. Since it was closed for such a long time, I think the fort has largely been forgotten, but after our visit, there's no doubt in my mind it has the potential to be a solid tourist destination if the money could ever be arranged to do repair work. Plymouthres, or anyone else, could you tell us any more about the renovation effort? | ||
Pam Member Username: Pam Post Number: 2025 Registered: 11-2005 |
Since I don't understand the appeal of war reenacting, I googled in search of info. on it. I found this amusing essay: (Some of the comments are also funny.) http://crookedtimber.org/2004/ 04/15/unusual-hobbies | ||
Blueidone Member Username: Blueidone Post Number: 105 Registered: 03-2007 |
Was down there for a couple of hours today with the family. Thanks from us also to those who are working to restore the Fort. My son (36) has actually decided to volunteer to help! | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 112 Registered: 02-2007 |
Hardhat, Blue- As a member of the Projects Committee for the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition and a Preservation Carpenter at the Fort, I thank you for your comments on our restoration efforts! As preservation carpenters, my wife and I were personally responsible for the front stair restoration project which was just completed, allowing tours of the Commander's House for the first time since 1991! Our all-volunteer members have worked hard (2000+ hour volunteered this year already!)to get the Fort to the point that we are at today, but much more needs to be done! Our Coalition has 60+ members today, so imagine what could be done with just a few more dedicated people. I am glad that you had such a good guide for your tour. Everyone of the docents, or guides, are quite knowledgeable about the Fort and they all add their own little "flair" to the tour. The answer to your question in regard to the renovation is a bit of a complex one. Please let me try to explain where we stand. Part of the reason that you see the extent of damage that you do is that there has been about 20 years or so of "deferred maintainence" at the Fort. In the beginning the Fort was managed by the Federal Government, then the State Historical Society and the City Historical Museum and now is managed and run by the City Recreation Dept. During the time of management by the Historical Society, 35 full time employees were occupied with the up-keep of the Fort and it's grounds. Today it is managed by one man. The Rec Dept does an awesome job of helping to support our efforts to complete the projects, but there is not much of a budget left in a city that is having the financial difficulties that Detroit is today. We struggle to get the lawn mowed on a regular basis, and if it weren't for the efforts of a few very dedicated volunteers who bring their own tractors to mow the grounds, it would be really bad! The funding for the front stair project of the Commander's House, for instance, was provided by the Colonial Dames of America, with supplemental funding for the project coming from the now defunct Friends of Fort Wayne group and the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition. To restore things to their proper era, using period techniques and methods, is very time consuming and expensive work. Our intent is to continue with the restoration effort as we can fund it, and we would like to have the entire front facade complete before winter sets in. Our work on the structure will never really be done though, so our Projects Committee is also making plans to do the type of preventive maintainence necessary so that we won't be revisiting the repairs over and over. Zug Island and it's outblast contaminents have a way of ruining everything!! There has also been significant contribution made, both financially and in volunteer hours, to the restoration of the Casemate covers on the corners of the Fort. The 17th Michigan, a re-enacting group, has provided funding for two and will perhaps be able to fund all the rest (6 more) of the Casemate covers. Without their effort, this task could not be possible!! At a minimum, we need to secure funding immediately to "wrap" the structures that you spoke about as more damage will certainly lead to their irretrieveability! The entire NCO row is in jeopardy of complete loss if we cannot secure the roofs soon. We estimate the cost of just securing the roofs to be in the thousands of dollars, and we just do not have the funding to do that at this time. I remember a time in the not too distant past that I saw NCO families living in those houses, when the Fort was still an active Army base!! There is no one who wants to save ALL of the Fort more than I or the members of the Coalition do, and it is indeed frustrating sometimes to deal with the apathy and lack of money in regard to Fort Wayne. But we will not give up, and recently the Coalition has been given more responsibility for both the upkeep and the restoration effort! The Rec Dept has finally given us permission to begin the restoration of the second thru fourth floor front windows and the rear balconies of the Barracks Building inside the star Fort, so we are thrilled to begin to bring back that part of the history of the Fort as well!! We just need more volunteers! Why do we continue the effort in the face of such daunting odds? We believe that we are making a difference for the good of all of Detroit and really, for our state's place in history. So often you hear the term "Arsenal of Democracy" mentioned in regard to Detroit's extra-ordinary effort in helping win the Second World War. That term is the direct result of Fort Wayne and it being the largest motor pool in the country. There were over 25 million men and women mustered or inducted into the military through its hallowed gates as well, and to neglect the site is in a way neglecting the memories of those who did not or can not come back to help us save it now and we will not give up until we are completely done restoring all of the structures possible!! The best way that we can help to save the Fort, though, is to tell everyone we know about the good experiences that we have had there just as you are doing!! We need to get the word out that we have this gem, as it is one of a dozen or so remaining star shaped Forts in the country and is indeed a "solid tourist destination". Please get the word out to everyone about the Fort, the Coalitions efforts to save it and the need for generous donations from the private sector to ensure that we can continue to restore it to it former grandeur!! Remember the quote from Cicero, later used by Churchill, which says "Those that do not study history are destined to repeat it". Help us continue our effort to restore the Fort by "studying" it's history!! Also for up to date info on the Fort and the Coalition's efforts, please visit http://www.historicfortwayneco alition.com. | ||
Zimm Member Username: Zimm Post Number: 18 Registered: 10-2006 |
many thanks to Plymouthres for the heads-up about this weekend's events at Fort Wayne! I had the chance to visit and tour the Fort on Saturday afternoon with the GF and it was a wonderful experience. it's obvious once you're within the fort grounds that many of the buildings are is immediate danger of slipping past the point of being reasonably salvageable. as we passed the large barracks house on the eastern end of the fort, i commented to the tour guide that i would be happy to donate a tarp to patch the large hole in the main roof structure, as the rafters were clearly visible. sadly, as we got a better view, it became apparent that it would take a dozen tarps and skilled, well equipped roofers to seal the holes. sadly, there are just so many other structures that are in similar peril. i wish those working to save the fort the best of luck. they seem to be doing a lot despite little backing or attention. i am a man of modest means and skills, but i think i'm going to have to find a way to help in the preservation effort. heck, if a bunch of guys in Civil War-era wool clothes would spend their afternoon cutting the myriad sumac that have sprung up on the Star Fort, i suppose i could too. | ||
Hardhat Member Username: Hardhat Post Number: 208 Registered: 10-2003 |
Thanks for the info, Plymouthres, and again, for the work you and others are doing at Fort Wayne. As Zimm indicated, it's truly going to be a difficult task ahead to save some of the buildings at Fort Wayne. Obviously, the city is in dire straits financially, but wouldn't it be great if the Riverfront Conservancy took a glance downriver and looked at the potential of putting some money into the the Fort? Just a little wishful thinking... (Message edited by hardhat on July 09, 2007) (Message edited by hardhat on July 09, 2007) | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3965 Registered: 10-2003 |
Plymouthres, thanks for all the effort you and others do to preserve this very valuable historical asset. Please continue to keep us all informed and you are welcome to shamelessly use this forum to promote all your efforts and recruit others to join in the projects. For all visiting this thread, be sure to visit Ookpik's timely thread which features a vintage picture of the interior of the fort in the post WWII era. I have posted some related pictures in that thread too. Click HERE to visit that thread. | ||
Ookpik Member Username: Ookpik Post Number: 285 Registered: 01-2007 |
Here is a vintage photo of Fort Wayne that you may enjoy: https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/5/106821.html?1183988339 If anyone knows, I would be interested in learning about the history of the white buildings inside the fort. What were they? When built? When torn down? Etc. My parents went to Fort wayne on Saturday and enjoyed it. They were present when the B-17 flew overhead to the delight of the crowd. Later, during a tour someone asked when the fort "stopped being a fort." The answer was "during the 1960's." Also added was the comment that "some may have a relative or know someone who was processed through Fort Wayne." To which my Dad, normally a very reserved individual said, "I know someone." Of course he was asked "who?" to which he could proudly reply "me!" My Dad signed up for the Armed Forces at Fort Wayne in the early 1960's. Ookpik | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3966 Registered: 10-2003 |
Plymouthres, regarding the officer housing, what is the opinion of the preservation community about the housing be restored and sold as residential property both as a means of revenue raising as well as by having occupied and as invested housing it would act as a deterrent against scavengers and vandals. I am think particularly about the housing on the West Jefferson side, the first row that starts with the Tuskegee Airmen museum [which as has been discussed here previously may be moving to City Airport.] From my point of view even the second row, facing the parade grounds, could be saved in this manner, providing clear accommodation was made for tourist / historical events. These are very well built terra cotta brick structures and it pains me to see them fade. Commander's House before Plymouth Res' and friends fix up.  Jefferson side officer duplex house  Commander Row house.  | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1149 Registered: 07-2004 |
Lots of beautiful things to look at, in various stages of disrepair. I remember one time I wanted to go look at the old earthworks and barracks. The guard asked, "Are you here for soccer?" "Uh, no," I said, "I'm here to look at the fort." "I can't let you in unless you're here for soccer." I was able, after much effort, to talk my way in anyway, no thanks to the guard. | ||
Usnsubvet77 Member Username: Usnsubvet77 Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2007 |
The guards on the property are absolutely correct, as of right now, denying entry to the Fort for non-soccer participants. The Fort still, unfortunately, not a general admittance venue. Recent events such as a Joe Louis statue, a brass Hudson's drinking fountain and other pieces of the Detroit Historical Society have been stolen from the Fort. All I can ask as a person who spends a LOT of time at the Fort with PlymouthRes, is come out during public visiting hours. I don't like to squash enthusiasm for the Fort at all, but until the Fort is entirely secure of vandals and thieves, this is the best option. I'm sure most of you would not do anything malicious, but understand the measures that need to be taken because of others who do....unfortunately. | ||
Usnsubvet77 Member Username: Usnsubvet77 Post Number: 2 Registered: 07-2007 |
Also, as a member of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition Projects Planning Committee with PlymouthRes, I would like to thank all who visited Fort Wayne this weekend. I certainly appreciate the diversity in both race and age of the visitors. Fort Wayne has touched the history of every race and generation that has existed in Detroit since 1845. Getting the word out about the Fort and coming down to see it, feel it, work in it is the only way to preserve the iconic symbol of Detroit's collective effort in times of trial. From the Civil War training troops here both black and white, to housing indigent families during the Great Depression and providing sanctuary during the '67 riot. Please come back and visit the fort again and hopefully with everyday that passes, Fort Wayne and Detroit won't have dream of it's glory days, it will be living the glory days. Visit the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition website and come on down for a few hours! Meet some new friends from all over Michigan from Flint to Plymouth, Columbiaville to Dearborn. We are always looking for new advocates and members of our restoration efforts. www.historicfortwaynecoalition .com | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1150 Registered: 07-2004 |
Right, so, remember all you vandals, scrappers, desecrators and thieves, you're there for the SOCCER. | ||
Usnsubvet77 Member Username: Usnsubvet77 Post Number: 3 Registered: 07-2007 |
The effort is to have some mitigation against thieves and vandals, Joke if you must, but it is better than nothing with the limited funding the Fort gets for security manning. Does it work 100%, probably not. but might prevent people from leaving with truckloads of scrap and historical materials. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1151 Registered: 07-2004 |
That's cool. The old statues behind the fort are way too heavy for people to make off with, so they've been safe back there for, what, 46 years? And the bell was finally moved from the parking lot, so now that's safer too. I'm sure, on one or two days, those guards stopped a handful of thieves who were clueless enough to try to roll in during business hours. But the work of stopping hundreds of people who want to look at Detroit's priceless heritage? That's the really great work that's done there every day. | ||
Usnsubvet77 Member Username: Usnsubvet77 Post Number: 4 Registered: 07-2007 |
I certainly appreciate your frustration, as well as the hundreds you speaking for. I will discuss this issue with our Executive board and they with Parks and Rec. Perhaps, in a timely manner, they can detail any plans the city or Parks and Rec. may have in granting entry into the Fort during non-event times. It is a valid point you make and I will make an effort to provide you with an answer. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1152 Registered: 07-2004 |
Well, I don't know how many people I'm speaking for. It was one of those experiences that left me really surprised. And, though I'm being my usual smartass self, there's truth to it: That any visitor who wants to learn more is turned away is not going to generate any long-term goodwill for the fort. Thanks for listening! | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 115 Registered: 02-2007 |
Lowell- I am sorry for the length of these posts, but you and the others concerned about the Fort deserve to know the truth and it takes a bit to explain things. I have purposely tried to keep the answers brief but the whole story requires a bit of explanation! Thanks for the permission to post! The Coalition has no way of getting the word out about our efforts except our website and yours, so we thank you for helping that effort! Here is a pic of those same stairs as seen in the top picture after the restoration process and before painting.  We have since painted them and added the newel post cap to the left newel post. This should give everyone an idea as to where we intend to be in the future with the remaining work, as our goal is to do this to all the structures we possibly can. Just to give you an idea, the stair restoration took us over 50 hours to complete as we adhered strictly to an architectural study done by the City and the many reference materials that we have at our disposal! In answer to your question regarding the opinion of the preservation community and the rehabilitation of the structures for housing, you are very perceptive and make a great point. Rehabbing and selling the property is a goal as outlined in the master plan of 2001 drawn up by the City! As preservationists, we are not going to get in the way of progress, nor will we allow whole-scale development of the property for the pleasure of the City! Additionally, there are some deed restrictions that must be overcome (how do you sell the property/housing without the land-perhaps lease at $1/per year for 99 years?)as the property is still under the final say of the NPS even though they gave up ownership to the city after it became a historic site in 1973. There is also the problem of the State Historical Commission and their requirements. The reuse ideas are great, but the bureaucratic red tape that one must go through to get approval for the projects, particularly in regard to the Star Fort and Commander's House are daunting to say the least!! Unfortunately, we have been stymied in our efforts to go faster with our recommendations by this red tape. There are many people in the City government now listening and agreeing with our efforts, so we are beginning once again to move the effort forward, and developing the property as you described is one of the methods that has been discussed. As long as it augments the Fort and grounds, we will help in the effort. We are also extremely lucky that there has been absolutely no scavaging or defacing of the property to date! We did see some evidence of "tagging" which was older, but the security service that the City Rec Dept has provided have been very dedicated to their jobs and we have not had a problem to date, thankfully!! I will address Ookpik's question regarding the buildings inside of the Star Fort in another post, as I know the answer to the questions posed about the buildings usage and demise. I probably met his father as I was the one who pointed out to the crowd that there was a fly-over occurring and that they should look up!!! They were an enthusiastic crowd, for sure!! In the future, I will try to keep all informed of the progress of the efforts to restore the Fort. It is a treasure that belongs to all of us, and we should do everything possible to preserve it!! What is most amazing to me is the amount of people who do not even know about the Forts existence! Many people think that I am referring to Fort Wayne, Indiana when I am referring to our Fort Wayne!!!We are hopeful that when the Riverwalk extends past the current Ambassador Bridge we will get some exposure, too. We are hopeful that the new crossing being proposed to the east of the Fort will not be a "boon" but a "bane" for the advertisement of the Fort's presence! Time will tell, indeed!! Also, in case anyone is interested, there is a new Arcadia Press book available in regard to the history of the Fort. One of the authors is Jim Conway, who has been the Project Manager for the Fort for many years and who himself was inducted into the military there. It is an awesome book, full of facts and pictures not readily known or seen by the general public, and is one of the foremost authoratative books on the history of Fort Wayne ever published. I hope that I have not bored all of you. Thanks so much for your concern!! | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 116 Registered: 02-2007 |
Lowell- I am sorry for the length of these posts, but you and the others concerned about the Fort deserve to know the truth and it takes a bit to explain things. I have purposely tried to keep the answers brief but the whole story requires a bit of explanation! Thanks for the permission to post! The Coalition has no way of getting the word out about our efforts except our website and yours, so we thank you for helping that effort! Here is a pic of those same stairs as seen in the top picture after the restoration process and before painting. We have since painted them and added the newel post cap to the left newel post. This should give everyone an idea as to where we intend to be in the future with the remaining work, as our goal is to do this to all the structures we possibly can. Just to give you an idea, the stair restoration took us over 50 hours to complete as we adhered strictly to an architectural study done by the City and the many reference materials that we have at our disposal! In answer to your question regarding the opinion of the preservation community and the rehabilitation of the structures for housing, you are very perceptive and make a great point. Rehabbing and selling the property is a goal as outlined in the master plan of 2001 drawn up by the City! As preservationists, we are not going to get in the way of progress, nor will we allow whole-scale development of the property for the pleasure of the City! Additionally, there are some deed restrictions that must be overcome (how do you sell the property/housing without the land-perhaps lease at $1/per year for 99 years?)as the property is still under the final say of the NPS even though they gave up ownership to the city after it became a historic site in 1973. There is also the problem of the State Historical Commission and their requirements. The reuse ideas are great, but the bureaucratic red tape that one must go through to get approval for the projects, particularly in regard to the Star Fort and Commander's House are daunting to say the least!! Unfortunately, we have been stymied in our efforts to go faster with our recommendations by this red tape. There are many people in the City government now listening and agreeing with our efforts, so we are beginning once again to move the effort forward, and developing the property as you described is one of the methods that has been discussed. As long as it augments the Fort and grounds, we will help in the effort. We are also extremely lucky that there has been absolutely no scavaging or defacing of the property to date! We did see some evidence of "tagging" which was older, but the security service that the City Rec Dept has provided have been very dedicated to their jobs and we have not had a problem to date, thankfully!! I will address Ookpik's question regarding the buildings inside of the Star Fort in another post, as I know the answer to the questions posed about the buildings usage and demise. I probably met his father as I was the one who pointed out to the crowd that there was a fly-over occurring and that they should look up!!! They were an enthusiastic crowd, for sure!! In the future, I will try to keep all informed of the progress of the efforts to restore the Fort. It is a treasure that belongs to all of us, and we should do everything possible to preserve it!! What is most amazing to me is the amount of people who do not even know about the Forts existence! Many people think that I am referring to Fort Wayne, Indiana when I am referring to our Fort Wayne!!!We are hopeful that when the Riverwalk extends past the current Ambassador Bridge we will get some exposure, too. We are hopeful that the new crossing being proposed to the east of the Fort will not be a "boon" but a "bane" for the advertisement of the Fort's presence! Time will tell, indeed!! Also, in case anyone is interested, there is a new Arcadia Press book available in regard to the history of the Fort. One of the authors is Jim Conway, who has been the Project Manager for the Fort for many years and who himself was inducted into the military there. It is an awesome book, full of facts and pictures not readily known or seen by the general public, and is one of the foremost authoratative books on the history of Fort Wayne ever published. I hope that I have not bored all of you. Thanks so much for your concern!! | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 117 Registered: 02-2007 |
Lowell- I am sorry for the length of these posts, but you and the others concerned about the Fort deserve to know the truth and it takes a bit to explain things. I have purposely tried to keep the answers brief but the whole story requires a bit of explanation! Thanks for the permission to post! The Coalition has no way of getting the word out about our efforts except our website and yours, so we thank you for helping that effort!Once I figure out how to upload pics, I will add one of the new stairs. We have since painted the stairs and added the newel post cap to the left newel post. This should give everyone an idea as to where we intend to be in the future with the remaining work, as our goal is to do this to all the structures we possibly can. Just to give you an idea, the stair restoration took us over 50 hours to complete as we adhered strictly to an architectural study done by the City and the many reference materials that we have at our disposal! In answer to your question regarding the opinion of the preservation community and the rehabilitation of the structures for housing, you are very perceptive and make a great point. Rehabbing and selling the property is a goal as outlined in the master plan of 2001 drawn up by the City! As preservationists, we are not going to get in the way of progress, nor will we allow whole-scale development of the property for the pleasure of the City! Additionally, there are some deed restrictions that must be overcome (how do you sell the property/housing without the land-perhaps lease at $1/per year for 99 years?)as the property is still under the final say of the NPS even though they gave up ownership to the city after it became a historic site in 1973. There is also the problem of the State Historical Commission and their requirements. The reuse ideas are great, but the bureaucratic red tape that one must go through to get approval for the projects, particularly in regard to the Star Fort and Commander's House are daunting to say the least!! Unfortunately, we have been stymied in our efforts to go faster with our recommendations by this red tape. There are many people in the City government now listening and agreeing with our efforts, so we are beginning once again to move the effort forward, and developing the property as you described is one of the methods that has been discussed. As long as it augments the Fort and grounds, we will help in the effort. We are also extremely lucky that there has been absolutely no scavaging or defacing of the property to date! We did see some evidence of "tagging" which was older, but the security service that the City Rec Dept has provided have been very dedicated to their jobs and we have not had a problem to date, thankfully!! I will address Ookpik's question regarding the buildings inside of the Star Fort in another post, as I know the answer to the questions posed about the buildings usage and demise. I probably met his father as I was the one who pointed out to the crowd that there was a fly-over occurring and that they should look up!!! They were an enthusiastic crowd, for sure!! In the future, I will try to keep all informed of the progress of the efforts to restore the Fort. It is a treasure that belongs to all of us, and we should do everything possible to preserve it!! What is most amazing to me is the amount of people who do not even know about the Forts existence! Many people think that I am referring to Fort Wayne, Indiana when I am referring to our Fort Wayne!!!We are hopeful that when the Riverwalk extends past the current Ambassador Bridge we will get some exposure, too. We are hopeful that the new crossing being proposed to the east of the Fort will not be a "boon" but a "bane" for the advertisement of the Fort's presence! Time will tell, indeed!! Also, in case anyone is interested, there is a new Arcadia Press book available in regard to the history of the Fort. One of the authors is Jim Conway, who has been the Project Manager for the Fort for many years and who himself was inducted into the military there. It is an awesome book, full of facts and pictures not readily known or seen by the general public, and is one of the foremost authoratative books on the history of Fort Wayne ever published. I hope that I have not bored all of you. Thanks so much for your concern!! | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 118 Registered: 02-2007 |
Sorry for the multi-posts-I was trying to post a picture but couldn't resize them correctly. After a brief lesson from my helpdesk tonight, I will try again! Again, sorry for the multiposts! |
