Co-Author of "Kalamazoo: Lost and Found" speaks on campus
Jan. 27, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- Historical preservation of existing urban buildings will be the topic of local author and consultant, Pamela Hall O'Connor when she visits campus as part of the Urban Politics Guest Lecture Series.
O'Connor who has served as past chairperson of the Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission and co-authored "Kalamazoo: Lost and Found" will present "Keeping time: the politics of preservation" on Tuesday, February 4th in Room 3512 of Knauss Hall at 11 a.m. "Preservation is now considered a primary community re-development tool," say O'Connor. "Local and state governments are using it to their advantage, especially in quality of life discussions about what urban centers offer those who choose to live and work in them."
Public and private projects ranging from the rehabilitation of the former Woodbury Block, now known as the Arcadia on the northeast corner of Water St. and Kalamazoo Mall, to the rehabilitation of the facades and interiors of Coney Island and Bimbo's Pizza on Michigan Ave are a few of the examples O'Connor points to as evidence of Kalamazoo's re-development commitment. " In the past 10 to 15 years, but especially recently, the community has begun to grasp the role that its historic architecture plays in its history and 'sense of place,'" says O'Connor.
The lecture is sponsored by the Institute of Government and Politics and the department of political science, and is free and open to the public.
Media contact: Matt Kurz, 269 387-8400, matt.kurz@wmich.edu