Historic building seeks donations for renovations

CALUMET — Renovations to a historic building in Calumet may be coming if a crowdfunding effort is successful.

The Copper Country Curling Club has been using this historic site for their tournaments for ten years. But now an effort is underway to expand the use of the building to include year-round sports and to make it handicap accessible.

Calumet Township, in conjunction with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, are attempting to raise $32,000 through the crowdfunding site, Patronicity. The MEDC will match those funds if they reach their goal.

“It’s going to be a very big project, several different elements-making the entire building handicap accessible throughout, putting in a new handicap accessible bathroom,” said Copper Country Curling Club President Gary Lassila. “The entranceway will be redone and one of the big things is our Community Room, which right now is very small, 8′ by 12′, is going to be much bigger and much more accessible to the different groups that use the building.”

In addition to the two curling rinks already in place, the site will also include three practice rinks for hockey, a batting and pitching area and two regulation horse shoe courts.

The building was built as a drill shop to service the copper mining industry back in 1885 until it was shut down in 1968.
Renovating the site will be cheaper than building a brand new state-of-the-art all-season sports facility, but costs are not the only reason for fixing it up.

“This has so much character,” said Lassila. “It’s C&H, Calumet and Hecla, Mining building. It was known as the Drill Shop because they manufactured drill bits and other drill equipment here. So, it’s an important, I feel, an historical building for the copper mining industry.”

Here is a link to the crowdfunding site: Click here.