Sprawling Grand Traverse Commons Property Has New Advocate

Architect Ken Richmond is one of some four dozen individuals, governmental or companies who own a piece of the 480-acre Grand Traverse Commons, and Richmond has a vision: He wants to preserve the history of the Commons, restore the historic arboretum on the grounds, and continue to restore and redevelop the property. So he and others have formed the Friends of the Historic Commons, dedicated to bringing together all the interested parties and advocating for the property.

“It’s a chunk of land in the middle of a city,” Richmond says of the sprawling property that remains private and somehow separated, despite its proximity to Meijer, downtown, and the rest of Traverse City. “We like that and don’t want to lose that.”

The Minervini Group is the largest property owner at the Commons as owner and redeveloper of its centerpiece, the sprawling Building 50 and its many shops, restaurants, and privately owned condos.

Raymond Minervini II says, “In aggregate, the Minervini Group owns a small part. We share it with the community. We’re co-owners. We care about how it’s preserved.”

He adds that when there was one owner of the property – the state of Michigan – such an organization was unnecessary. “Now there are a number of private owners, public – this can tie it all together,” he says of the Friends group.

The Friends of the Historic Commons is dedicated to celebrating and preserving the grounds and woodlands, historic buildings, and vision and cultural significance of the entire campus of the former Traverse City State Hospital.

“We want to look at the whole Commons, from Silver Lake to Munson,” says Kathleen Steves. A historian who spent 25 years at George Washington University, she is one of the group’s members stressing its history. She and fellow board member Tak Ready are working on preserving the voices of those who worked there or had family members who worked or were treated at the facility. “There were so many different aspects to this property.”

A primary goal on the group’s agenda is preserving and restoring the Historic Arboretum. Before the property was developed into the state hospital, it had been clear-cut for the timber. “When Dr. Munson came here in 1885, it was a field of stumps,” says Winnie Simpson, another member of the organization. Over the century-and-a-half since then, many of the trees have died and others have been removed.

Richmond says restoring the arboretum isn’t simply a matter of replanting a bunch of trees, or even trying to restore the original layout. “It’s historical preservation, making clear what’s old, what’s new. It’s not random, but not a literal replant. We want it to reflect today as well as 1885.”

“It’s a scramble to hold onto what’s left,” he continues. “There was a row of maple trees in the front drive. There’s only a few left.” As with any project involving trees, there are no shortcuts. Richmond says it’s a long-term ideal, but so was restoring the property to start with.

Thing is, there is no one person or organization in charge of everything, so trying to coordinate a plan that encompasses all that is the Commons is a challenge. “No one person has a list of all the businesses (or) all the property owners,” says Richmond.

Simpson says her experience in Atlanta helped propel her toward making sure the history of the property is not forgotten. “I’ve been a history buff since 5th grade, and lived in Atlanta much of my life. It’s notorious for tearing down and building over its history,” she says of that city.

So she is an advocate of preserving the unique history of the Commons. “It was the biggest employer for decades,” Simpson says of the state hospital. “It was the economic driver for this town. We don’t want to see it come down to just a tourist attraction for Building 50.”

Richmond says that the despite all that the Minervini Group has done to restore and redevelop the property, there is still the much to be done. “There are random curb cuts, signage (with) no overall scheme and more. We are trying to be advocates” of the entire property, he says.