In a continued effort to maintain and preserve the historic President’s House, the Board of Regents on Thursday approved renovations and infrastructure improvements to the residence.
Built in 1840, the President’s House is the oldest building on campus. It is one of the original four houses constructed to house faculty when the university moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor.
The house has been the home of university presidents since 1852 and serves as an important venue for events and as a gathering place for the university community.
The $1.3 million renovation project will replace the flat roof surfaces that are more than 25 years old; paint selected areas of the exterior; make repairs to damaged wood, stucco and masonry; and replace two 26-year-old heating, ventilation and air conditioning units.
The project includes the renovation of three 1960s-vintage bathrooms and a small kitchenette on the second floor, installation of storm windows in the first-floor study, wireless access upgrades and repair, and plaster repair inside the home.
The current fire detection and alarm system also will be replaced.
The last major renovation to the house occurred in 2002.
A fund of $250,000 also will be continued to allow for the purchase of furnishings that may be needed in the coming years.
The Department of Architecture, Engineering and Construction will design the project. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2014.
Susan Rowe
Happy to learn that you’re keeping a part of the historical skeleton structure of the campus.