Tuesday January 17, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Are you interested in saving energy by creating a more sustainable home?

Join Doug Selby of Meadowlark Builders for this informative talk and learn more about practical ways to reduce your carbon footprint at home and live a healthier, comfortable life. Doug Selby is a building science expert and managing partner in Meadowlark Builders, a deep green design/build construction firm, and in Meadowlark Energy, a home performance contracting company, both headquartered in Ann Arbor.

Curious about the history of the homes and buildings around us in Ann Arbor? Be sure to visit our beautiful Ann Arbor Architecture Archive. Packed with a gallery of images and text about Ann Arbor's historic structures, this reference resource includes the full text of Historic Buildings, Ann Arbor, Michigan by Marjorie Reade and Susan Wineberg. Learn about old local breweries that were wiped out by prohibition, the Ann Arborites who had peacocks roaming their lawn in the 1800s, and so much more. For example, every year people from around the globe make pilgrimages to Rocco Desderide's grocery store here in Ann Arbor without even knowing it. If you have visited Zingerman's Deli on Detroit Street, then you've been to Rocco's too. Built back in 1902 by Italian immigrant Rocco Desderide, the iconic brick-veneered building, with bands of corbelled bricks fanning out above arched windows, served as the home of the Desderide grocery and confectionery business until 1921.

To access the Ann Arbor Architecture Archive, you can always go to the research page and select Ann Arbor Architecture Archive from the Ann Arbor category.

henry simmons frieze house

Tubingen

Learn about urban development and design from our German sister city, Tübingen, Germany.

During the last fifteen years, Tübingen has converted many former industrial or military areas into lively and attractive neighborhoods. The French Quarter, the Loretto and the Mühlenviertel are now characterized by a mixed use, a colorful architecture and a high impact of private building groups.

Tübingen's Mayor for Building and Development, Cord Soehlke, will bring some of Tübingen's planning and building success experiences to Ann Arbor! Cord Soehlke has been part of Tübingen's development projects during the last 14 years and will discuss the city's goals, ideas and experiences.

Monday June 13, 2011: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

There has been a lot of talk over the past few years about the much-photographed Detroit “ruins.” The abandoned, empty, decaying buildings, collecting dust, getting transformed into “beauty” for the camera. Amid the talk has been also controversy. Some feel that these “beautiful” photographs of the “ugly” shed a bad light on Detroit, as photographers travel from afar to walk among the ruins. Whether you’re a fan of this type of photography or not, there are two newer books that feature some spectacular architecture of the city’s past. It’s a timeline of the old infrastructure, the bones of Detroit. Abandoned factories, schools and libraries that were closed.

Lost Detroit: Stories Behind the Motor City’s Majestic Ruins highlights twelve historic landmarks and tells the stories behind them: The Vanity Ballroom, Cass Technical High School, Michigan Central Station, to name a few. What’s nice about this book is that it features photos of then and now, so you can see how the buildings have changed over time as you read about it.

Detroit Disassembled is 96% photographs, which makes for a nice coffee table book to let your eyes wander through. The large images contain sharpness, texture and depth amidst the apocalyptic landscapes.

F. Scott Fitzgerald who immortalized the decade long era known as the roaring 1920s with his book The Great Gatsby has been hit with sad news. The renowned white mansion commonly known as Land's End which inspired the posh residence of Daisy Buchanan is being demolished.

At the height of its glory during the 1920s and 1930s, the mansion was host to lavish parties and was known to be frequented by Fitzgerald himself, along with Winston Churchill, The Marx Brothers, and Ethel Barrymore. It was twenty-four thousand square feet and was located near a bird sanctuary. The mansion was staffed by twenty people, maintained a tennis court, a seventy-foot swimming pool, and two sandy beaches on the premises.

Located in Long Island the great white mansion had fallen into such disrepair that there was no other choice but to demolish the famed residence. In its place a cluster of new homes will go up bringing close to another iconic feature of the roaring 1920s.

Are you interested in Green home design for your next new house, remodel or addition? Learn valuable information, insights and inspirations that you can immediately apply to your next building project! This fun-filled event is packed with information providing a glimpse into the opportunities to make a change "at home."

Architectural Resource, LLC is a full-service, award winning, Ann Arbor based architectural design firm headed by Michael Klement who will be leading this discussion. The firm emphasizes Green and sustainable design for residential projects.

If you have ever wondered what you can do personally with your own built environment to make a difference, whether existing or yet to be built, you cannot afford to miss this event!

Wednesday April 20, 2011: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Malletts Creek Branch: Program Room AB

Tiny houses are making a big name these days as there is more focus on sustainable living and ecologically sound living spaces. But these houses are more than just little boxes. The book Tiny Houses by Mimi Zeiger takes a look at small spaces designed by architects all over the world - all of them around 1,000 square feet. I marveled at the interesting designs, from beautiful tree-top homes and hobbit holes to space age mini desert dwellings. The house locations in the book range from tightly packed in a city block to straight off the grid on a mountain side. Amazing!

The basic philosophy for many tiny house enthusiasts is leaving less of an environmental footprint and making a commitment to live more simply. Also, think compact appliances and electronics, eco-toilets - or perhaps little to no appliances at all. As I’ve learned however, just because the house is smaller, this does not mean less expensive! According to an article on wikihow, small houses usually cost more per square foot than “normal” houses because designs are so complex. But they're just so cute. And don’t so many of us dream about simplifying our lives? Check out this list for further tiny house reading.

Brushwood_front

Jean Spero, granddaughter of former Detroit Edison president, Alex Dow (1862-1942), recently sent us several photographs of her childhood home in Ann Arbor. Known as "Brushwood," this country estate was one of the first homes to be built on the rolling slopes above Barton Dam, which eventually became Barton Hills. Local historian Grace Shackman covers the origins of this area in her article, "The Buried History of Barton Hills."

Spero's childhood memories color her personal tour of Brushwood. For example, here's one about the Brushwood Library, her grandfather's favorite hideaway:

"There were two walls filled with books, a special radio, a fireplace, two desks, one his and one for the secretaries who often came out for a week or so to work with him....they were very sweet and two became especially good friends of mine. As a teen when Grandfather wasn't there I would use that room to 'entertain' my friends by listening to the radio in front of a roaring fire...wonderful atmosphere. As a little one I read all I could get my hands on, including the Encyclopedia Britannica which was thoughtfully put on a lower shelf! The collection was very diverse, lots of folklore, philosophy or religious tomes of every sort of religion, history, plus, of course, current novels, etc. I have two of the books, Willa Cather's My Antonia and a huge coffee table-sized book on Scottish tartans...." (J. Spero)

Accessibility
Recent studies have been done on the subject of participation by people with disabilities in arts and culture within Ann Arbor. The upcoming program Community Discussion: Participation by People with Disabilities in Arts and Culture on Wed., Oct. 13, 3-5 pm in the Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room will explain some of the issues brought up by these studies regarding accessibility to fine arts and culture venues in Ann Arbor. The presenters will discuss the wide range of findings from four focus groups recently held on this important topic.

Fourth Ward School

If you're wondering what going back to school looked like around here decades ago, here's the original Ann Arbor High School, circa 1894; its ruins (from a fire), 1904; and the "new" Ann Arbor High School, rebuilt in 1907.

There's also the old Fourth Ward School, built in 1867 on Division St, which was replaced by the building that eventually became Community High School. And here are the students at the Fifth Ward school, c. 1880.

There's also the old University School of Music from 1894...and the Di Gregorio Driving School in 1974.