The Mary Sheldon Ismon House is a 100 year old landmark,
described recently as "a looming brick Romanesque structure."
This magnificent building offers an impressive entrance, stained
glass windows, three large floors, and a full basement. Located
at 300 S. Clinton, the Ismon House is situated within Albion's
designated historic district.

At one time the Ismon House provided space for our local Public
Library and a meeting place for the ELT and Leisure Hour Clubs.
In recent years only the Leisure Hour Club occupied the
building, using the first floor.

During the last year or two, several events have affected the
status of the Ismon House:

• the Leisure Hour Club's 99-year lease expired;
• the City of Albion assumed responsibility for the building;
• ownership and responsibility for the building were transferred
  to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA);
• a city inspection revealed a number of code violations and
  underscored the generally deteriorating condition of the
  building.

About this time, individual citizens renewed their efforts to
rescue and restore this Albion treasure. Concerned citizens
attended several DDA meetings, and in June of this year a small
group was organized to petition the DDA to assist in
"preserving, restoring, and maintaining the Mary Sheldon Ismon
House as a community center to meet some of the social,
artistic, educational, and recreational needs of the Albion
community."

With the legal assistance of David Moore, a group was
incorporated as Friends of the Mary Sheldon Ismon House, A
Michigan Non-Profit Corporation. At a subsequent meeting with
the DDA, the Friends of the Ismon House was recognized and given
the "green light" to proceed with its mission.

September 8, 1999 marked the first Annual Membership Meeting of
the Friends of the Ismon House. Lois McClure White and Marjorie
Ulbrich were elected co-chairs; Edward Berg, vice chair;
Michelle Mueller, secretary; and Carol Gnich, treasurer. Other
Board members are Darlene Chisholm, Rebecca Mitchell, Sue Schmidt, William
Stoffer, Johan Stohl, and Veronica Wheeler.

Currently the Friends of the Ismon House claims a broad
membership base of over 120 individuals. Membership is open to
all residents of the community. The fee is $5, and membership
forms are available at AVSO (the Albion Volunteer Service
Organization) or from any board member.

All meetings of the Friends of the Ismon House are open to the
public. Regular meetings are scheduled at 4:00 on the 2nd and
4th Tuesday of each month, at AVSO (203 S. Superior Street).
Interested individuals may contact Lois White at 629-4855 or
Marjorie Ulbrich at 629-4994.

"Preserving, restoring, and maintaining the Ismon House" is a
difficult task and a rare opportunity. Although the building is
fundamentally sound, it stands in need of extensive work:

• building is in immediate need of $4200 worth of exterior
  work to prevent further deterioration. Money for this phase has
  been pledged and the work soon will begin.
• A major interior clean-up job is needed, requiring much "sweat
  equity" by volunteers.
• Full restoration will proceed in stages. Randy Fisher of
  Gordon Martin Builders has provided an estimate of costs and has
  suggested a phased approach to the restoration. The first phase
  will involve installing new plumbing and
  electrical work, and rendering the first floor usable. This
  phase will cost around $220,000.

Once completed, the first floor can be occupied and programs
can begin. But the fund-raising efforts will continue until we
raise an additional three times that amount to complete the full
restoration, which includes installing an elevator, bringing the
entire building up to code, and insulating and finishing the
interior.

We have begun a planning process to determine appropriate and
feasible uses for the building. Envisioned as a social and
cultural center for the entire community, the Ismon House might:

• provide meeting space for civic, volunteer, and service
  organizations;
• house social events such as dances, dinners, receptions, and
  reunions;
• support artistic expression in music, drama, and the visual
  arts;
• encourage educational activities such as lectures, debates,
  workshops and classes;
• offer "low impact" recreational activities in the basement,
  such as ping-pong, shuffleboard, billiards, and bocci ball.

Together we face the daunting challenge of funding the
restoration of the Ismon House. While local support will be
sought at appropriate times, we anticipate that major funding
will come through grants that support the preservation of
beautiful buildings, historical restorations, and the
development of community centers designed for social, artistic,
and educational activities.

History tells us Rome wasn't built in a day, and certainly the
restoration of the Ismon House will need to be spread out over a
number of years. But in the end the residents of Albion will
have a beautiful multi-purpose building, fully restored, that
will make Albion an even more attractive, livable, and smart
community for all of its residents.