Ypsi’s Freighthouse is my favorite place in the world. Or, at least, it was. I can’t remember when I first started going there. It was probably 11 or 12 years ago now. I know I’ve written about my memories of it here before, so I’ll keep this brief, but it was a magical kind of a place. A few other communities out there, I imagine, have public spaces warmed by wood burning stoves where folks gather around and talk, make music together, drink coffee, play with babies, and the like. There was something different here, though. I’m trying hard not to use the word “spiritual” here, because I don’t want to be someone that would say something like that, but there was something about it that made me feel really good, and surprisingly optimistic about the human condition. I’ve never been in a room where an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s could stand up and start dancing alongside little kids as though she were one of them, and it wouldn’t seem at all odd. But stuff like that happened at the Freighthouse all the time. I don’t want to overstate it, but there really was this incredible sense of inclusion and camaraderie that crossed all the typical lines that separate us from one another as human beings.

Sitting there on Saturday mornings was the most “in the moment,” free of worry, and happy that I have ever been. And it’s a big part of why I agreed to move back to Ypsilanti and settle down here. I wanted to live in a place where black kids could dance to amateur bluegrass next to an old man wearing a dress, like it was the most natural thing in the world. It reminded me of the Twin Peaks universe, only everything, instead of having a dark, seedy underbelly hidden just below the surface, had a kind of a hidden beauty, and a glowing shimmer. It was quirky and beautiful. It was a like a little window into the heart of our City.

So, when I had an opportunity not too long ago to argue here on the blog that money directed toward the Riverside Arts Center should instead have been used to make the repairs necessary to reopen the Freighthouse, I took it. Several good folks came forward to explain the situation to me, and tell me why I was wrong to argue that one was more valuable to the community than the other, and they were probably right. They pointed out that, as wonderful a place as the Freighthouse was, there presently isn’t a business plan in place that would see it operational, even if the repairs could be made. The Riverside Arts Center, on the other hand, had a plan, a track record, and a responsible Board. The Freighthouse had a Friends group that, while well intentioned, hadn’t been able to move the project forward significantly over the past several years. As it was explained to me by one person, “They’re organized enough to stop a private developer from coming in and doing anything with the building, but they aren’t organized enough to raise the money for the repairs and see it opened as a viable, self-supporting entity.” So, let’s say all that’s true – what now?

Are the people of Ypsilanti willing to get behind the Freighthouse in a significant way? It seems like there’s some movement in that direction already. On this very site the other day, a commenter calling herself Loose Tea offered $50 of her own money and challenged others to do the same. Here’s a quote:

…I will send a $50 check to the address you indicate tomorrow. If 5 people also indicate here they will send a $50 check to the Freighthouse, I will send in a second check for another $50. I’d give more, but don’t have more and, yes, will go on the honor system…

And, another friend of this site, who plays in a band called Black Jake and the Carnies, has put together a fundraiser for the Freighthouse that will take place at the Corner Brewery on April 5.

And, several people have suggested that we launch a campaign to collect pledges for the Freighthouse like the one our friend Murph started not too long ago to see our City Hall go solar.

But more is needed. As I understand it, over $300,000 in repairs have to be done before the building can be opened to the public. The good news is, I’m also told that the project might qualify for existing State of Michigan and federal grants, once some initial work is done, and a plan for keeping it running is in place. I know it’s optimistic, but is it possible to think that we might be able to raise $100,000 within the community if we coordinate a year of fundraising activities?

But, we don’t just need to raise the money to see the repairs made - we need a plan that carries us into the future, ensuring that the Freighthouse, once opened, stays opened. We need to figure out how we’re going to pay for someone to manage the space and keep the electricity on. A necessary first step, I’m thinking, is that the Friends of the Freighthouse need to call people together for a big brainstorming session. (Maybe it could take place at the Brewery, right before the April 5 fundraiser.) We need everyone in town to get involved. We need our EMU Business School faculty, we need our local entrepreneurs, we need our arts community, and we need our City leaders. We need everyone to get on the same page and make this a priority.

We need the Freighthouse because it sets us apart as a community. We need it because we need a place to hold our winter farmers’ markets and our community dances. We need someplace for people to get married. We need a place for public meetings. We need a place to hold our debates and our elections… I’m reluctant to volunteer for something else, but I’ll pledge this much. If people like the idea of a public meeting on the future of the Freighthouse, I’ll ask some people and see if I can’t put together a group of people to make it happen. I know budgets are tight right now, I know there are other worthy causes, like the public pool, and I know people are stretched for time, but if we’re ever going to move this forward, now’s the time we need to apply some muscle. If we want to save the Freighthouse, we need get moving.

[The attached announcement comes from a 1980 issue of the
Ypsilanti Heritage Foundation Newsletter.]

update: Speaking of the Solar City Hall initiative, there have been some developments.