Category: History

8th Annual PFPP Membership Meeting

2/7/2019

Saturday, March 16, 2019
12:30-1:00pm - Meet & Greet w/ Refreshments
1:00-2:30pm - Meeting & Committee Presentations
2:30-3:00pm - Volunteer Sign-up

Detroit Unity Temple
17505 2nd Ave., Detroit 48203 | Across from Palmer Park
Follow the PFPP signs for parking & entry

SAVE THE DATE!
Learn about our accomplishments from the past year, and the exciting updates on our plans for the future in the park!

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS:

Hear updates on current park improvement projects: Tennis Courts, KaBoom Playscape, Handball Courts and more!
Hear more about upcoming events:
Palmer Park Art Fair, Log Cabin Day, Annual Fundraiser & Silent Auction,
and the PGA Tour coming to neighboring Detroit Golf Club in June
Recreational Programming for 2019 season
Introduction of new “rent-a-bed” program at our Urban Educational Garden
PFPP Board update on completed projects, finances & future goals/planning
Nominations/Election of new board members
First 75 members present or those attending that contribute $25 to
People for Palmer Park will get a geranium plant to take home this year

We are seeking board of director candidates for election at this meeting. Specific areas of expertise we are looking to fill include but are not limited to: fundraising, finance, legal skills, and membership. If you would like to get more involved as a member of the Board (you must be a current PFPP member), you can find more information by going to our member page where there is a link to our membership application.

For a list of current Board and Committee members, visit our Board/Committees page.

Help us spread the word! Print and distribute our flier below!

annualmtg2019_flier_2c.pdf
File Size:	194 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Grand Re-Opening of Historic Palmer Park Handball Courts set for 10/6

9/28/2018

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A group of area handball enthusiasts have been working with great determination over the summer to raise the significant funds needed to restore the historic Palmer Park handball courts, and they are now ready for play.

The Palmer Park Handball Courts, commissioned in 1950, hosted many national handball championships and racquetball matches including the U.S. Handball Association National Three-Wall Championship from 1950-1972. The refurbished facility will allow great play, but will also provide a place for current handball and racquetball players to "play the game forward." Workshops for young Detroiters will introduce them to a game that builds skills and character.

Funds were raised for painting, tuck-pointing, sports fence, court surface refinishing, and area beautification and the City of Detroit and People for Palmer Park lent their support

On Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 12:00 to 1:00pm, we are holding an opening celebration/press conference to announce the restoration of the Palmer Park Handball Courts. There will be handball demonstrations, refreshments, and hopefully have some young people to teach.

ALL ARE INVITED!

Parking will be located near the SE entrance of the park, in the Chess Row lot. No parking will be allowed next to the courts themselves. Look for signs.

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Jane's Walk Detroit at Palmer Park May 5th

4/24/2018

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Come discover the beauty, the history and the current
excitement of a revitalized Palmer Park!

SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2018 - 10am-2pm

Jane's Walk is an annual festival of free, citizen-led walking conversations inspired by writer, urbanist and activist, Jane Jacobs. We are happy to be a part of such a great event again, this time FROM PALMER PARK!

Jane's Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighborhoods, discover secret stops and favorite places.

The walk is free and starts and ends near the Palmer Park Community House / Splash Park where Pontchartrain meets Merrill Plaisance between 6 and 7 Mile, west of Woodward. Dress accordingly, we will be on trails that could be wet and muddy.

Join the Detroit walk's official Facebook event here.

Read a summary of the earliest Jane's Walk Detroit (pictured below) from 2013.

Jane's Walk official website: janeswalk.org

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Patronicity campaign kicks off to restore Log Cabin windows through crowdgranting

9/1/2016

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Light Up the Cabin: Palmer Park
Let's restore Palmer Park's Log Cabin to its former glory and help open this historic landmark to the community!

As you know, People for Palmer Park (PFPP) has been working very hard over the years to help restore this neglected park. What you may not know is, nestled in the heart of Palmer Park is a Log Cabin. We're excited to share with you an opportunity that will allow PFPP to transform this historical log cabin into an active & magical community gathering space.

The Palmer Park Log Cabin was built in 1895 by Senator Thomas Palmer and his wife Lizzie as their farm and summer vacation home. It was built with a surprising addition for a rustic retreat -- beautiful stained glass windows! They hosted everyone at the Cabin from foreign dignitaries to everyday citizens. Senator Palmer donated Palmer Park and the cabin to the City of Detroit "for the good of everyone." It is this spirit that the People for Palmer Park operate.

The Log Cabin was shuttered by the City in the 1980s and has only been opened once a year, over the past four years, for PFPP's Log Cabin Day. The stained glass windows of the cabin are now in varying states of dire disrepair. One of the greatest challenges in opening the cabin is that the windows are boarded. Once the boards are removed, only the broken, clouded windows remain.

We have launched a campaign to restore the windows so that we can open them more easily and when they are open, let light shine in the cabin.

If we are successful in raising $25,000 by the October 28 deadline the Michigan Economic Development Corporation will MATCH our $25,000 allowing us to complete our project of restoring the stained glass windows in the cabin. This will transform the cabin into an active community gathering space in the heart of Palmer Park.

Please visit our Patronicity campaign page to learn more about this wonderful project and make your donation.

We hope that you will join us in supporting this campaign and become a sponsor.

www.patronicity.com/palmerparkcabin

Support our Patronicity campaign!

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The Palmer Park Log Cabin Restoration Campaign

6/26/2016

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Frederick Law Olmsted's sons John Charles and Frederick Law Jr., as well as a gathering of other parks managers and landscape design professionals outside of the "picturesque Log Cabin" at Palmer Park, in late 1890s. Courtesy of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site/Brookline, Massachusetts.

The City of Detroit announced 6/24/2016 that it will spend $400,000 to stabilize and restore the Palmer Park Log Cabin built by Senator Thomas and Lizzie Merrill Palmer some 130 years ago. The only Log Cabin in Detroit, it is significant from both architectural and historic perspectives. It is a treasured landmark for our community that must be preserved. This work will help to ensure that this important historic structure — which is in an extremely distressed and crumbling state — will survive. This is only the first phase to completely restore the Cabin, which People for Palmer Park has been working so hard to preserve.

When will the Log Cabin renovation be finished?
City stabilization work should be completed by the fall of 2016. This is only the beginning of all the actual restoration work needed in the Log Cabin.

What exactly is being renovated and repaired by the city?
City work will include:

new cedar shingle roof with new weatherproofing, felts and spacers;
cedar ridge capping and repair concrete roof vent;
removal of loose bark and treatment of existing bark with wood preservative;
demolition of existing sidewalks and planters and adding new positive grade and sidewalks;
excavate perimeter of cabin, with new concrete underpinnings to 42” depth;
repair existing brick grade beams and install new French drainage system;
rebuild porch canopy and rebuild back wall; add new back entry door; environmental remediation to remove all animal feces in the walls and ceilings; and some site restoration.

If the city is paying $400,000 to renovate the Log Cabin, why is People for Palmer Park also raising money for the cabin?
PFPP’s initial goal is to restore the original stained glass windows on the first floor, which we
estimate will cost between $50-75,000. In addition, there is still a lot of work to be done including: restoring the chimneys; fixing and refinishing all interior woodwork, floors, doors, stairway; fixing historic pocket doors; interior plaster and painting; rebuilding the historic kitchen; and much more. There are no lighting fixtures, no electricity, and no running water or heat.

How could I book my event / wedding / corporate retreat into the Log Cabin?
You must apply to the City of Detroit for any event for 25 or people. Call 313-224-1100 or fill out the Special Event Form online: www.detroitmi.gov/How-Do-I/Apply-for-Permits/Special-Events-Information. You may also directly contact PFPP, who will have responsibility for events hosted at the Cabin.

When will Palmer Park get bathrooms installed?
Will the Log Cabin have a toilet? There is a comfort station/bathrooms being renovated by the Splash Pad, which should be completed this summer. No, there will not be a working toilet in the Log Cabin. We anticipate there will be more bathrooms in the park in the future.

Will the Log Cabin still look the way it did when Sen. and Mrs. Palmer lived in it after the renovations are finished?
Yes, that is the goal, however we may not install their furniture and antiques, which would turn it into a museum. We hope that it will have a number of ways that it will be used, which are being explored.

Will the Log Cabin be open again to the public once the City renovations are complete this year?
PFPP hopes to host an event or tour once this initial work on the cabin is complete, in late fall. As the additional work progresses, we hope the Cabin will be used and opened more and more.

How can I help?
PFPP is holding a fundraiser at the Frank Lloyd Wright Turkel home on Sunday, August 28 from
4-7 pm. Funds will be used to restore the stained glass windows.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

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8th Annual PFPP Membership Meeting

Grand Re-Opening of Historic Palmer Park Handball Courts set for 10/6

Jane's Walk Detroit at Palmer Park May 5th

Patronicity campaign kicks off to restore Log Cabin windows through crowdgranting

The Palmer Park Log Cabin Restoration Campaign

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