World Monuments Fund lends hand to help save endangered building...
Previously on Archinect:
SAVE ME! Grosse Pointe Central Library, designed by Marcel Breuer (1953) - slated for demolition
A year in the life of the Grosse Pointe Public Library



GROSSE POINTE, Mich. – The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has awarded the Grosse Pointe Public Library Central branch a $50,000 grant toward the preservation of the building.

Built in 1953, Central branch library is the only building in the Detroit area designed by renowned architect Marcel Breuer. Recently, the WMF placed the library on its 2008 watch list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites, which calls international attention to culturally significant sites that are threatened by neglect, vandalism, armed conflict, climate change or natural disaster. The Central branch library was selected as part of a group of buildings listed under “Main Street Modern.”

“We are grateful for the World Monuments Fund’s generous grant, which is critical to our efforts to preserve this historic building,” said Marcia Scavarda, director of the Grosse Pointe Library Foundation. “The Central branch accounts for half of all the community’s library usage and places in the top 20 percent of Michigan libraries for patron usage, yet it ranks in the bottom 25 percent in terms of square footage per resident. We must improve the building by adding square footage and handicap accessibility in addition to enhancing the youth room, while preserving its significant legendary architecture.”

The grant proposal to the WMF outlines the preservation budget to include: $10,521 for research, $15,000 for developing a conservation program, $18,179 toward renovations and preserving targeted architectural features, and $5,000 toward developing a community outreach and educational program. Part of the project also includes restoring significant architectural features to their original design or replicating original design elements. The library’s acclaimed artwork – most notably the Alexander Calder mobile and the Herbert Matter mural – also will be part of the restoration.

A private, nonprofit organization, the New York-based WMF is dedicated to preserving endangered architectural and cultural sites around the world. Since 1965, it has helped preserve more than 450 sites in 80 countries.


About the Grosse Pointe Library Foundation

Founded in 2003 by the trustees of the Grosse Pointe Public Library, the Grosse Pointe Library Foundation is committed to building one of the finest community libraries in the country. The foundation administers the Annual Fund, the ongoing Capital Campaign, the Endowment Drive and all other fundraising efforts on behalf of the library.