2024 Historic Preservation Awards of Merit

Kalamazoo's Historic Preservation Commission presents Awards of Merit every year to recognize Historic Preservation Month in May. Learn about the people and projects who were recognized in 2024 below. 

Ladies Library Association: During the closure of 2020 brought on by COVID, the Kalamazoo Ladies’ Library Association made repairs and improvements to the interior of their building. Among these repairs were the rehabilitation of the numerous bookshelves and the interior shutters.

405 Stuart Avenue: Tony and Kate Sproul are recipients of a Historic Preservation Award of Merit the stewardship of their home at 405 Stuart Avenue. For the past 5 years, the Sprouls have cared for their home taking on a range of projects. One very notable project was the installation of gas lamps in the front yard, replacing the failing electric lamps.

530 W South Street: The Henderson Castle Foundation received a Historic Preservation Award of Merit award for the stewardship of the Wood-Upjohn house. After purchasing the property, the Henderson Castle Foundation began working to restore the property. The property is slated to become a bed and breakfast once restoration is completed.

712 S Burdick Street: A two-story porch restoration was completed at 712 S Burdick Street. The porch that was on the building was significantly deteriorated and pulling away from the main structure. The entire porch was removed and replicated. During this work, a second story porch was discovered after years of being covered by walls. The second story porch was also rebuilt, and the entire property was given a fresh coat of paint.

Thomas “Tom” T. Huff: Founder of the Peregrine company, Tom Huff has kept multiple historic buildings out of Kalamazoo landfills through rehabilitation and reuse. With most of his work centered around the heart of downtown, Tom has bought and rehabilitated both large and small buildings, preserving the buildings for future generations.