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City residents, alumni, preservationists, community leaders, University of Michigan-Health Sparrow customers, and donors are asking UofM-Health Sparrow to save the west wing of the historic Eastern High School building and the Jon Young Auditorium.

Lansing has lost many historical buildings and neighborhoods due to blind progress. Many believe the west wing of the building could be used for administrative offices, housing for staff or patient families from out of town, as an educational facility for UofM-Health Sparrow employees, and a hub for the UofM-Health Sparrow Foundation to host fundraising events. The west wing could provide good space for community-focused mental health support services for veterans, grief counseling, music therapy as well. The auditorium could be used for various UofM-Health Sparrow events as well as community choirs, plays, and performances. Visions for alternative uses are endless.

The Eastern High School building was designed by brothers Irving Kane Pond and Allen Bartlitt Pond -- Ann Arbor natives, University of Michigan alumni, and Chicago architects. Influential figures in the Arts and Crafts movement in public architecture, the Pond brothers were known for their detailed brickwork and distinctive decorative details. Their work included a wide range of buildings, from social service organizations like Jane Addams' Hull House to large university student union buildings at Purdue University, University of Michigan, Michigan State, and the University of Kansas. Their designs often reflected a commitment to social reform and democratic architecture, aiming to create welcoming gathering places that served the public good. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pond_and_Pond)

We live in an age where large corporations and major health care systems use their resources and influences unchecked to push their agendas. UofM-Health Sparrow is pushing the narrative that historic Eastern High School cannot be saved and no one in the community cares. They tell the public that the historic building must be leveled so they can build a mental health facility. These narratives are false. Providing a new mental health facility and saving the building and its auditorium can both be achieved.

UofM-Health Sparrow officials have placed undue pressure on local politicians and decision-makers to push their agenda. This pressure has caused politicians to avoid meeting with citizens they serve. UofM-Health Sparrow officials have refused to even enter into collaborative conversations with members of the Coalition as well. A packet of informational materials was sent to the UofM president’s office but returned unopened, stamped ‘Return to Sender.’

By signing this petition, you can show support for both saving the historic Eastern High School and its auditorium and building a mental health facility. Together, we can work to ensure preservation of this historic building as a symbol of five generations of Lansing families who built this city, fed its residents, and cared for its citizens and see that it continues to serve community residents and city visitors for generations to come.

(Email the coalition at preserveeastern@gmail.com)