By VANESSA McCRAY
TRAVERSE CITY -- Original terrazzo floors span one end of the historic railroad depot in Traverse City.
In what was once the ticket booth area, the restored maple floor is smooth and warm-toned. Outside, the depot is neat and well-maintained, with a beautiful tile roof and a welcoming walkway parallel to the railroad tracks. The surrounding area has experienced a resurgence, including the preservation and use of the railroad depot, named the 2009 Preservation Project of the Year by the Grand Traverse Heritage Center.
The depot now joins Traverse City architectural landmarks the State Theatre and City Opera House, both previous preservation award winners. Depot property owners Marty and Olivia Lagina were credited as well as Dale and Teresa Campbell, owners of home furnishings shop Urban Diversions. The store is a tenant inside the depot, located off Eighth Street. The Campbells worked to restore the interior, where their shop's offerings complement the historic building. The depot owners' big efforts, especially on the building exterior, also drew high praise.
"We basically just let the building guide us. We took out everything that had been added and took everything down to the original brick," Dale Campbell said.
Acknowledging those who preserve the region's old buildings is the purpose of the preservation awards, now in its third year. The heritage center last month honored more than a dozen local homeowners, businesses and nonprofits for their work to preserve houses, commercial properties, a barn, public buildings and a boat. Lori Puckett, the center's executive director, said the awards celebrate the people who restore and preserve places in "a proper way" while "keeping to the historic character."
The depot project was preserved so well "that you don't even know" what work was done, said Fred Hoisington, who served as the awards committee chairman.
"That is an extraordinary example of the kinds of things that we are looking for in terms of recipients," he said.
Dale Campbell wanted to maintain the depot's authenticity, and the task required fixing past remodeling projects that put holes in bricks and covered up the original floors. Campbell called those non-historic remodeling efforts a "remuddle." The preservation work inside the depot included redoing plaster on the ceilings, pulling up old layers of flooring and painstakingly restoring floors. He called it "a very rewarding project."
The awards recognize local individuals as well as a mix of urban and rural places and different architectural eras. Award winners set an example for others considering preservation.
"We are encouraged, and we hope that the kinds of things we are doing now will snowball in the future," Hoisington said.
Winners are determined after visits to the property by a committee that includes historians, preservationists and architects. Nominees should be at least 50 years old. The heritage center is already taking nominations for next year's awards.
2009 Historic Preservation Award winners
-- Preservation Project of the Year: Pere Marquette Depot in Traverse City
-- Restoration/Residential: Jim and Michelle Turner, Sixth Street in Traverse City
-- Rehabilitation Honors/Residential: Bob and Laura Otwell, Washington Street in Traverse City
-- Rehabilitation Honors/Residential: Merrill and Beverly Almquist, Eighth Street in Traverse City
-- Special Merit/Carriage House or Garage: Stephen and Elaine Morris, Sixth Street in Traverse City
-- Special Merit/Rural Structures: Barbara Siepker, author of "Historic Cottages of Glen Lake"
-- Rural Structures: Myers barn on Center Road in Peninsula Township
-- Special Merit/Non building: Welcome, owned by Maritime Heritage Alliance
-- Commercial Preservation: The Underground Cheesecake Co. in Traverse City
-- Commercial Adaptive Reuse: Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay
-- Commercial Adaptive Reuse Honors: Robert Frost Fine Footwear in Traverse City
-- Institutional Restoration: South Manitou Island School
-- Institutional Rehabilitation Honors: Grand Traverse County Courthouse
-- Institutional Rehabilitation Honors: North Manitou Island Boat House/Bath House
-- Community Award: Leelanau Conservancy
-- Preservationist of the Year: Kimberly Mann, historic architect with National Park Service
-- Source: Grand Traverse Heritage Center
