The City of Ypsilanti has received three Federal Certified Local Government (CLG) 60/40 matching grants for the Freighthouse through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). An initial $30K grant helped to upgrade electrical systems.  Later, a $50 grant was used to fund the Condition Assessment Report, which provided detailed architectural remediation and structural specifications.  The third and most recent SHPO grant for $60K has been completed for exterior storm water management to keep water away from the foundation and the façade along the decking edge.

Additionally, the City also received a $6,800 Fire Act, Homeland Security Grant, which was used to install a fire alarm system. .New door locks and a security alarm system have also been installed, funded by FOYF.

In January 2005, under a formal agreement with the City, The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse (FOYF) assumed management and the responsibilities of restoration and fundraising with code compliance and a permit of occupancy for public use as our immediate objectives.

During the summer of 2006, the FOYF self-financed replacement of the failed beam structure under the Café, enabling the FOYF to obtain provisional display use of the Café during the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Ypsilanti Heritage Festivals.  More than 800 visitors attended.

Many volunteers over the last few years have worked to clean out accumulated debris inside and out, and from under the structure, repaired some of the eaves, removed tile flooring, and cleared any unnecessary equipment and construction materials from the site.

Several other benefits were held in 2008, including Frenchie's Restaurant in Depot Town, which produced $5,000. Haab's Restaurant downtown and a Chili Cook-off at the Ladies Literary Club sponsored by our staff and graduate student and faculty partners at EMU Preservation together netted nearly $1,000 more.

Operationally, the FOYF revised its by-laws during 2008, renewed its Management Agreement with the City through 2013, and is working to strengthen its active Board composition.

FOYF fundraising made a leap in 2009, following the completion of a process to create a five-year FOYF Business Plan.  Concurrent discussions with the Ann Arbor Community Foundation were taking place.  Armed with the new business plan, the FOYF Board made a formal presentation to the AAACF. After a review process, the FOYF was awarded a $103,300.00 grant from the AAACF Pfizer Fund to create a complete set of biddable architectural and engineering plans to strengthen the Freighthouse structure and to prepare the interior for community and business activity.

At the same time, the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) announced that a three-year trial commuter rail project would stop in Ypsilanti.  On top of that, after deliberations, City Council decided to follow the Planning Department's recommendation that the SEMCOG passenger platform would be erected on the Freighthouse side of the tracks.

That exciting news was soon followed by the announcement that the City of Ypsilanti had selected the Freighthouse as its Federal Stimulus Package Grant target for "shovel-ready" projects in Ypsilanti.  Knowing that we had thee support of the AAACF and would have biddable drawings in-hand by the Federal deadline, the City staff and the Freighthouse Board applied and were ultimately successful, obtaining a Transportation Enhancement Stimulus Grant for structural preservation repairs for $500,000 to be administered by MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation).

As of this date, the engineering and architectural elements necessary for the MDOT portions of the project are nearing completion.. SHPO and MDOT recommendations for final project approval will be made by the FOYF and its design team the end of October.

Here is where all of this effort is heading ... opening our doors to the community.  A milestone was reached this month with approval from the City Building Department to re-open the former café area for limited neighborhood association and other small civic group meetings.  Since that approval, the Historic Eastside Neighborhood Association and the Ypsilanti Development Authority have held meetings in the old Café.

Current FOYF Board activities include:

Our immediate critical challenge is to raise an additional $40,000 locally for MDOT project contingency funding before the end of November.  If you can help, please click on our Donate tab, above, and make a generous tax-deductible contribution today.

From 1979, when the City of Ypsilanti purchased the Freighthouse, to the temporary closing of the Freighthouse in 2004, the FOYF functioned as a very informal volunteer organization in partnership with the City's Market Manager and the Farmer's Market.

Many maintenance, repair and other enhancements were made by volunteers: