Save the Ruppe Block works to stabilize an iconic structure in Calumet | News

CALUMET, Mich. (WBUP/WJMN) — The Bring Back Calumet initiative has made significant progress over the years to redevelop several sites in the village. At 211 5th street sits the Ruppe building, built in 1869 with a third floor installed in 1890.  

Find a recent update on the building here: Keweenaw Community Foundation makes strides in Ruppe Building restoration

 “…over time, mother nature took its toll on the structure,” said Keweenaw Economic Development Association (KEDA) Executive Director Jeff Ratcliffe. “It’s a wood framed building, and nature does a number on those types of structures. But the importance of this building starts with the facade. It’s kind of a symbol of Calumet. It’s a very large building in the middle of downtown.” 

After J.C. Penny moved out of the building in the 1980s, the site was left relatively untouched. Unfortunately, being left alone allowed water to seep in through the roof, saturating the structure’s wooden frame.  

“For the community, losing this facade would leave a very large gap in the downtown,” Ratcliffe added. “We’ve already lost three buildings in the 100 block from a fire. And the loss would really hollow out the downtown.” 

The village hopes to save the building and encourage development in the heart of downtown.  

“And we would lose a very beautiful facade and they don’t make facades like we have downtown anymore. This is an opportunity to hold onto that facade,” Ratcliffe continued. “The goal is to stabilize, and we’ve done that. We have, in an interim phase, stabilized the building so that we can prevent the building from collapsing readily.” 

The Save the Ruppe Block Project seeks to raise $200,000 to stabilize the structure for development. So far, the project has raised close to $30,000 from local stakeholders and has invested close to $50,000 in restoration efforts.  

“We have more work we have to do to stabilize the balance of the building and then our goal would be to, what we are calling, restore the building,” Ratcliffe said. “That would entail removing about half of the building, the back half of the building, putting new walls in the remaining half, and a new roof in the front half.” 

He said that phase one of stabilization will take a community effort, which he hopes to complete by the time the leaves begin changing color. Phase two expects to restore the property and prepare it for redevelopment in the third phase, when the village can find a excited developer to take on the site’s redevelopment in Calumet. 

This Thursday, June 12 at 3 p.m., the Bring Back Calumet project will host a volunteer day at the Ruppe building to clean out some refuse already piled up. 

Those interested in helping with the project for a couple hours should contact Nikki at KEDA to learn more. Learn more about the Save the Ruppe Project online. Contact Nikki at (906) 482-6817