Demolition of Old Jamrich Hall

It finally happened.  After being in the planning process and in construction for several years, the new Jamrich Hall on Northern Michigan University's campus in Marquette slowly began to rise and as of this month, is nearly close to being finished.  At first a new building wasn't even in the picture as plans were in place to remodel the existing Jamrich Hall.  But eventually the university found that a new building would end up costing just as much as remodeling the existing building, and they'd actually be downsizing the amount of space they needed campus-wide by consolidating two buildings into one.  It makes sense and I completely understand why they went that route.  In today's public university funding shortfalls, colleges and universities across the country are looking at ways to save money.  And if they have less infrastructure to maintain, then it will provide for some cost savings for higher education institutions.  Despite all that, it was still sad for me to see the old Jamrich Hall on campus come crumbling down this week.

I have a lot of memories from that old building and not just those from when I attended college at NMU.  I think it all first started when I was a young kid in elementary school.  Each year Young Authors was held in that building.  For as long as I can remember, during each grade we created a story of our own, made it into a book, and presented it at Young Authors.  Then there was a gathering at the end of the day in the large lecture hall in Jamrich where an accomplished author would come and speak.  It wasn't just our school that attended, but schools from all across Marquette and Alger Counties.  So we got to meet other kids from different areas, too.  At the time, I can say that I hated the experience, especially when I had to be in a group where I knew none of the kids.  But looking back on it now, I think it was a pretty worth-while experience, and one that took place in the old Jamrich Hall.

Another memorable grade school experience from that building came when the Science Olympiad competitions were held on campus.  Now the majority of the time, the focus of that competition was in another building on campus.  But at the end of the competition during the awards ceremony, that took place in the old Jamrich Hall, once again in the large lecture all, room 102.   For our school and our Science Olympiad teams, we always excelled and often won first and second place, not just our junior high team, but our high school team as well.  Each competition it always seemed like we metaled in, so members of our school would always be up on stage when our school name was announced as winners for each event and eventually, for the entire competition.  When we'd either win first or second place as a team, it meant we moved on in the competition and competed at the state level.  The statewide competition for Science Olympiad was held at Michigan State University.  So the ramifications of winning the "local" competition were pretty big and exciting.  But I remember many awards ceremonies in that building and all of them were positive experiences.  Many times it was pure jubilation and glee after our school came away with many metals and trophies.

And now for my college experiences in old Jamrich Hall, where the bulk of my memories exist inside that building.  As a freshman, most of my classes took place away from Jamrich, as I was a computer networking major.  So at the time, I had a lot of classes in the science buildings.  But eventually as I changed my major from being computer-based to English, the bulk of my classes would end up taking place in Jamrich Hall. Let me just say this; all in all there wasn't anything structurally amazing about the building.  It was basically a big square box; the first floor having all of the large lecture halls and the upstairs holding the smaller, more intimate classrooms.  I thought it had a bit of a unique design, however.  Each corner of the building had an entryway.  Each of the four doorways leading to the upstairs were painted a different color: red, yellow, blue, and green.  If I had to guess, I'd say it was for if someone were to get lost, then they knew which entryway they came from.  The main floor had curved hallways, which the outer walls of the larger lecture halls were also shaped in such a way.  Other than that, it was your basic university lecture hall.  Lots of brick, cinder block, floor tile, ceiling tile, chalkboards, desks, tables, benches, you name it.  I don't think there was one semester where I didn't have a class in that building.  It may not have been an amazing building to look at or set foot in, but it's one where I have many memories being in.  And I guess that's why it makes it sad when it's coming down.

I experienced this one other time in my life, when a major instructional building faces the wrecking ball.  I can say that I was too little to really be too attached to that particular building but for many in our small community, it held so many spectacular memories.  It was the old high school building and when demolition day came, you can imagine it created quite a stir to see the limestone structure come crashing down.  That was nearly 25 years ago and the community has since moved on and embraced the new school building.  A famous quote came from that experience and I still remember it to this day.  "It's sad, but necessary;" someone commented regarding the demolition.  And in the case of old Jamrich Hall, it truly is sad, but necessary.  I have learned this week that one of the reasons why it became so costly to renovate the old building was due to its sinking foundation.  It would have taken a lot of money to address that situation.  So, as much as I would have liked to have seen the old building renovated and kept around for many more years to come, I think it's time to move forward.  A grand new building has risen on NMU's campus, one that will be around for many generations to come.  It will still hold the Jamrich name and will be embraced like every other building on campus.  Yet the memories I hold from old Jamrich Hall will never fade.  It will be the same for every other person who attended NMU and had classes in that building.  I will miss that old building and I regret not setting foot inside one last time.  However, life goes on. But memories never truly die.

Holy Family Orphanage - Marquette, MI

It's a building that has sat largely vacant since the early 1980's and may soon come crumbling down. The Marquette City Commission has began preliminary planning to eventually tear down the old Holy Family Orphanage building in the city. A few weeks back the commission started plans to apply for a statewide grant to help fund the demolition of dilapidated buildings within a specific jurisdiction. Out of $15 million allocated to the demolition of such inhabitable buildings, $10 million is dedicated to the efforts in the city of Detroit alone, while the remaining $5 million is allocated to projects across the state. The city of Marquette is hoping that the Orphanage building is one of those projects selected for the year 2013.

For those unfamiliar with the Holy Family Orphanage Building in Marquette, it sits along the corner of Altamont and Fisher Streets. If you're traveling through the city along the US-41 bypass between the Grove Street intersection and the roundabout, you can't miss seeing the red-brick structure sitting from atop of a hill on the north side of the roadway. The majority of its windows and doorways are boarded up and it sits forlornly, waiting for someone to take it over and make it into something useful. However, it doesn't seem like that'll ever happen. The building has been owned by various owners since 1982 with nobody having a clear plan of what to do with the structure. It now sits in foreclosure and is in serious disrepair. A recent inspection done by the fire chief of the city of Marquette revealed that the roof has a couple of gaping holes and the structural integrity of the building is in serious doubt, with concrete crumbling inside and structural I-beams rotting away. At this point it seems it would take a miracle for somebody to swoop in and purchase the building, and at least make it safe.

Just think of the cost it would take in reviving a building like the Orphanage. It's a large, mammoth six-story building made of red brick and sandstone. It's a rather large building compared to Marquette's other buildings in the city. The Orphanage was constructed in 1915 at a cost of $100,000 at the time. It was considered to be a state of the art building for 1915 and it was the pride of the Most Rev. Frederick Eis, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Marquette during that time, who fought to fund and build the structure for the Diocese to house orphaned Catholic children in the Upper Peninsula. But it was built during an era when lead paint was predominantly used and asbestos was a common building material used in building construction during that era of time. Lead and asbestos abatement alone could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. That's not to say it isn't impossible for someone to step up and provide the money that's needed to rehabilitate the building. Just look at the history involving some of Marquette's other famous buildings that were close to being demolished, such as the Rosewood building and the Landmark in (once called the Hotel Northland). Both buildings were abandoned for years and were eventually overhauled into what they are today. Both are considered to be some of Marquette's finest and most historic structures standing today. Who's to say that same fate could become of the old Orphanage building?

Seeing that it has been since 1982 since the structure was last occupied and has gone through a handful of owners, it is likely the building will see the wrecking ball first before anyone puts together plans to save the structure. It's a shame because the building has been a part of the Marquette skyline for nearly 100 years. But as I mentioned earlier, the structural integrity of the building is questionable at best. Rehabbing a building like the Orphanage would probably take at least a couple of million dollars and it's much more cheaper these days to tear a building down rather than remodeling it. It's too bad that none of the owners since 1982 were really all that serious in turning the building into something useful. Then again, those that owned it were from out of state and probably never cared about one of Marquette's most interesting buildings. I guess time will tell regarding the fate of the Orphanage. If the grant money comes through for the city to tear it down, it likely won't see it's 100th year of standing.
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Recent Update:  The facility still stands and will do so until at least next year (2014).  So far it has not been determined whether or not the city and/or county will reapply for state grants to demolish the facility over the winter.  One would think so, considering it still stands in disrepair.  It's one of the buildings that the city of Marquette wants to see gone, as it is becoming a serious safety hazard.  That being said, I think if someone were to come forth and purchase the structure and put some serious money towards revitalizing the building and develop an aggressive construction schedule, I would think it would be saved from the wrecking ball.  Time will tell what ends up happening.

NMU's Jamrich Hall...No More?

Jamrich Hall, on the campus of Northern Michigan University in Marquette, is the center piece of campus. It's where the majority of the university's classes are held, especially for those not majoring in a science-based degree. It was built in 1968 during a time when the university began constructing additional facilities west of the existing core of campus buildings. Since 1968, the building has remained the same; no significant renovations have taken place within the structure. Other buildings surrounding Jamrich have received their fair share of renovations yet, the most important campus building was untouched. All of that is soon about to change.

In fact, under a new plan announced by NMU officials last week, Jamrich Hall may not even exist in a couple of years. The university may be able to construct an entire new building with the same allocated money they received from the state. It would be a slightly smaller structure, which university officials say would make better use of classroom space than the oversized classrooms located within Jamrich and the most important part of the proposal: it would be a completely new structure. NMU would be able to take advantage of new "green" building concepts in today's modern era. Needless to say, the university is taking a serious look into this option.

However, I myself feel rather sentimental when it comes to Jamrich Hall and would hate to see it demolished. The critics out there contend that it's a rather boxy and plain structure, with the classrooms not having a lot of originality to them. Well what can you expect for a building constructed in the late 1960's? I like the fact that on each of the building's four corners, that's where you enter and exit. The first floor's interior hallway walls are constructed of brick which is something rather unique to most buildings. On the first floor is where the large auditorium classrooms are in Jamrich, the biggest being in room 102 where NMU often screens movies for the students on weekends. The second floor is home to the smaller classrooms, but even the critics contend that many of the classrooms there are too big, as well. I will say this, the HVAC and electrical systems in Jamrich are sorely outdated. In a lot of rooms, there's only one outlet. And the building does not meet today's technological standards. But, how can that problem not be solved with a major renovation?

I guess part of me will be sad to see it go because I have some good memories of being within that building. Often times in grade school, there'd be school functions held there, such as Young Authors, in which elementary-grade children would create their own books and show them off to other students from other schools. And then we had our Science Olympiad award ceremony, where our school would always be crowned first or second place. We had our fair share of exciting moments then. And then it was where I had taken the majority of my college classes when I attended NMU in the early 2000's. I was never happy having to attend classes as it was, but I didn't hate the building because of it. It's a major gathering place for all these students who attend NMU. That's not to say the same atmosphere wouldn't exist within a new building. It's just that for me, part of NMU's history would be gone forever.

A new building probably would look much more modern and classy compared to the plain brick-and-mortar construction of Jamrich. But who's to say they wouldn't be able to put some modern touches on a renovated Jamrich, too? As you can see, I have mixed emotions about NMU's construction plans, but whatever they decide, I will accept. It's not like I am overwrought with fret about the possibility of losing Jamrich Hall forever. After all, it's just a building. And if NMU is to accomplish their long-range goals in building a new structure and replacing Jamrich, then more power to them. Anyways, the focus is all about the students and creating a comfortable learning atmosphere for them. Whatever NMU decides regarding a renovated Jamrich or a new building, it'll definitely continue the university's path of modernization within the new century.
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Recent Update:  Construction of a "new" Jamrich Hall is underway and is about 40% complete.  It is currently being erected between the Learning Resources Center and the Hedgcock Building, where an old parking lot was.  The university states that the building will be ready for the new fall semester in 2014. Meanwhile, the old Jamrich building and Gries Hall will be demolished once the new Jamrich building is fully occupied.

6/27/14 Update:  The "new" Jamrich building is 90% complete while demolition on the old Jamrich Hall began this week.  Gries Hall will remain standing for at least another school year, according to NMU officials.  For a new blog I wrote on this subject, click here.