Restoring former Merriman house shows Jackson is committed to preserving its history.
Jackson Recovery Resource Center
The former Merriman House. (Danielle Duval | MLive.com)
(Danielle Duval)
The city of Jackson made a smart move when it allocated about $70,000 in federal funds to help preserve part of Jackson’s history.
City Council unanimously voted to spend $69,545 of Community Development Block Grant funds on renovations to the former Merriman House — a mansion once owned by philanthropist Ella Sharp’s parents.
The structure at 407 W. Michigan Ave. is now owned by nonprofit Home of New Vision, which is responsible for addiction recovery services, and leases apartments in the building to recovering addicts.
The grant funding — which has restrictions on where and how it can be used — will be used to cover a number of renovations, such as insulating the attic, granite countertops and appliances in the kitchen, drywall in the bathroom and asbestos abatement.
While the renovations may not necessarily be historically accurate, it’s important to not let our historic homes fall into disrepair by neglect.
The home, which records indicate was built in the 1860s, is recognized for its historic significance because of its ties to Ella Sharp. Dwight and Mary Merriman, Ella Sharp’s parents, moved into the mansion in 1883 — leaving their farm, which would become Ella Sharp Park, to their daughter and her new husband, John Sharp.
The mansion was owned by Ella Sharp after her father’s death in 1905 and transferred to the city after Ella Sharp’s death in 1912. According to previous Citizen Patriot reports, the city sold the home after 1919 and it was converted into apartments under private ownership.
Hopkins Radio & Television later built a structure on the northwest section of the front lawn. The store operated there from the 1950s to the late ’80s. That structure was torn down in 1999.
In 2004, Home of New Vision Inc. of Ann Arbor bought the Merriman House and has used it ever since.
Jackson has been in a push in the past several years to demolish blighted building, but it’s important they remember that keeping our historic treasures in good condition also brings value to the city.
With this funding move, it seems city officials realize that.
But the buck shouldn’t stop with the Merriman house. We urge the city to explore using that grant funding on other worthy projects to preserve the city’s history.
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