Western Michigan University’s plans for a historic house on east campus may be complicated by a nearly thirty-year-old agreement.
In 1998, WMU acquired the house that was once part of the state hospital from the state of Michigan.
A copy of the deed obtained by WMUK includes preservation covenants that prevent the gatehouse from being altered without the permission of the State Historic Preservation Office.
"Grantee shall not undertake or permit to be undertaken any construction, alteration, remodeling, demolition or any other work that would affect the structural integrity or the exterior appearance of the #42 gate cottage without the express prior written permission signed by the SHPO," the second preservation covenant reads.
Evan Kutzler is an associate professor of history at WMU, and teaches a class on historic preservation.
He said he’s cautiously optimistic that the restrictions will lead the university to pursue alternatives to knocking down the gatehouse or having it moved.
“This makes me hopeful that there's going to be a conversation. If this has become a problem for our university then we can find a way to solve it with these restrictions in mind.”
Additional covenants also cover rehabilitation, inspections by SHPO and what will occur if the gatehouse is significantly damaged.
"This is about as protective of a statement as I could have imagined for this building," Kutzler said.
In an email to WMUK, Western spokesperson Paula Davis acknowledged that the university was not aware of the terms of the deed when it began exploring ways to have the house removed.
Davis suggested WMU would now be taking the agreement into account.
"The University is aware of the deed and this provision. No decisions have been made. We’re in the process of the due diligence needed to determine the feasibility of options," Davis wrote.
