Designing Empire’s New Neighborhood

From staff reports

Architecture Students from Andrews University, under the watchful eye of professors Robin Johnson and Daniel Acevedo, met with empire community residents to design modest, elegant ‘transition time’ housing for Empire. Their projects consist of six dwelling units set on three lots (48,49 and 50) at the southwest corner of Michigan and Ontario Streets in the village’s “New Neighborhood” across M-72 from National Park headquarters.

The well-developed individual homes have a few special twists. Some call it “universal” housing or more ecological and socially “sustainable” housing for a new era. The houses share a single co-generation heating system housed in a ‘commons building’ with other shared facilities like a canning kitchen. The individual houses are made of local materials. Each has at least one bedroom on the ground floor, but rather than being identical units (as is often the case today), the houses have different room sizes and configurations to suit the needs of different age groups. All these features encourage a healthy multi-generational social interaction among the residents of the six dwellings.

Before they began the projects, the students spent four days absorbing the beauty and culture of Leelanau County in February. They hiked the Port Oneida Historic District with park architect Kim Mann. They received a vast array of old images and heard presentations from local historians Dave Taghon and Tom Van Zoeren. They were further inspired by local resident Alison Heins about the need for active senior housing. She advocated for using resources wisely, seeking to bring back some of the “old ways” using modern materials in a modern setting, thinking “outside the box,” and designing to meet the needs of a “lifetime.”

The students completed their projects May 1. Samples of their work can be seen in Empire at the Glen Lake Library located on Front Street. For more information contact Robin Johnson at robinaj9988@yahoo.com.