Designs to be unveiled for Arcus Center for Social Justice; Kalamazoo Co...

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Designs to be unveiled for Arcus Center for Social Justice; Kalamazoo College house to be relocated
Published: Sunday, May 15, 2011, 1:00 PM Updated: Monday, May 16, 2011, 3:02 PM

Paula M. Davis | Kalamazoo Gazette By

KALAMAZOO Kalamazoo College will unveil preliminary designs of its planned social-justice center at a meeting on campus Monday.

The $3 million to $5 million Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership building will be at the corner of Monroe and Academy streets on the western edge of the campus. When the building will be erected has not been determined because of the rezoning classification process the college is pursuing.

Mark Bugnaski / Kalamazoo Gazette The old Kalamazoo College president's residence, that housed the L. Lee Stryker Center, is to be relocated to make way for the new Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership.

College officials originally had thought to seek a zoning exception to build the new center, but our plan is to seek rezoning for the entire campus and then the new center would be part of that rather than seeking a variance to the existing zoning,

said Jeff Palmer, K-College spokesman.

Mondays meeting, starting at 5:45 p.m. in the Hicks Student Center, is a chance to update residents of the surrounding West Main Hill neighborhood, the campus community and anyone else who wants to attend about the planned development. The project designers are from Studio Gang Architects of Chicago.

Meanwhile, in an agreement, the college building now on that corner is being given to Gary and Cheryl Kuta. Later this month, it will be moved across the street to an empty lot owned by the Kalamazoo couple.

The building is actually a house completed in 1924 as a residence for K-Colleges eighth president Allan Hoben. The house, which has not been utilized as a residence for decades, has served various purposes for the college. However, it has been used very little in recent years.

Originally, the college considered renovating it to make a home for the Arcus Center, but after we did some design work, we just realized that it was not going to meet the needs of the center we were envisioning, said Mickey McDonald, the colleges provost.

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Designs to be unveiled for Arcus Center for Social Justice; Kalamazoo Co...

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The plan then was to raze the building, but when the citys historic preservation coordinator, Sharon Ferraro, came to take a look at it, she recalled that the Kutas wanted to build a home across the street on the corner of West South and Monroe streets.

A college official called them to learn whether they were interested in taking on the huge project to move and rehabilitate the almost 3,000-square-foot brick house.

They were.

Although the Kalamazoo couple had planned to build an English cottage on the parcel, they thought about it and agreed to take on the project because of their passion for preservation,Cheryl Kuta said.

It was Dr. Allan Hobens house. It will just add a lot of history to the community, said Kuta, noting it is the couples third restoration project.

The college has largely demolished additions that were built onto the house over the decades and as part of an agreement, will pass onto the Kutas the $25,000 in savings from not razing the building entirely.

Its absolutely a win-win, McDonald said. It certainly had meaning for the institution as President Hobens house andjust in the interest of sustaining a structure and the ability to salvage a building, I think its great for them and its great for the college, he said.

The $25,000 doesnt quite cover a third of the cost of moving the brick structure across the street, Cheryl Kuta said. The preliminary work to move the house will begin Monday by Laraway & Sons House Moving on Monday.

When the house is re-established across the street, it becomes part of a historic district as part of the West Main Hill neighborhood.

Once we get it moved it will definitely be a designated historic house, Ferraro said.

Theres much work to be done on it and once moved, the Kutas expect the renovation to take three to five years to complete.

Its very overwhelming, Cheryl Kuta said. But its the passion, its the excitement and passion of helping the community and helping the college that motivates her and her husband, she said.

Contact Paula M. Davis at pdavis@kalamazoogazette.com or 269-388-8583.

2012 MLive.com. All rights reserved.

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Historic Kalamazoo Landmark For Sale

Hobin House 304 Monroe Street

Gary and Cheryl Kuta moved the historic "Hoben House" from its original site on the campus of Kalamazoo College to their lot at 304 Monroe St. in the summer of 2011. While the Kutas have accomplished much over the past months to re-furbish this neighborhood landmark, poor health precludes them from being able to complete the restoration process or anticipate moving into the home. We are offering this significant 4-5 bedroom, 2.5 bath home with over 2,800 sq ft as a "work in progress" to interested parties at a price of $175,000. Our hope is that the next owner will carry forward this exciting project and will make this important piece of Kalamazoo history their own. Call for a private showing and tour!