The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 6, 1984 -Page 3C
Developers
foresee
big
changes
in
city
skyline
By ANDREW ERIKSEN
The Ann Arbor skyline hasn't
changed too much over the years. But
soon, several developers are going to
have their chance to make their mark
on the city.
This burst in building activity is
spurred on by the rising demand in of-
fice and commercial space and the
falling interest rates
John Swisher III, chairman of the
Downtown Development Authority said
that a window of opportunity has
opened for developers in the city. A
peceived demand and a boost in the
general economy has made developing
more tolerable, he added.
Some of the projects that are being
planned or that are under consideration
in the downtown area include:
" Tally Hall-A seven story parking
structure which will contain ethnic
restaurants and shops in its basement
and first floor is being built at a site on
Liberty Street across from the Nectarin
Ballroom.
verted into a six-story office complex.
* Convention Center-A convention
center for at least 500 people, is planned
for the corner of Huron and S. Fifth Av-
enue.
Many of the developers are from the
I'm concerned about building too quickly,
but . . . it could create a new demand for
space. -John Swisher III,
DDA chairman
" Sun Bakery-A student-favorite,
this all-natural bakery at the corner of
Liberty has been torn down to be con-
Ann Arbor or southeastern Michigan
area and are aware of the impact that
development might have.
A quick history lesson
"I'm concerned about building too
much too quickly but it could work the
other way. . . it could create a new
demand for space," said Swisher. A lot
of developers are concerned that the
window of opportunity will close, he ad-
ded.
The attitude of the city government
has helped to boost the amount of
development that is occurring in Ann
Arbor. According to Swisher, the city
government, at one point, discouraged
or scared off developers from coming to
Ann Arbor. But recently, that attitude
has changed.
"They (the city) has taken a different
stance," added Swisher.
One way the city has taken a different
stance is by becoming a member of the
Washtenaw Development Council. The
council is a non-profit corporation
established to attract new business and
industry to the Washtenaw area.
"We're a marketing arm for local
communities," said Michael Ammann,
executive director of the Washtenaw
Development Council,
"It's a consolidated effort to adver-
tise the Washtenaw County area," said
City Planning Director Martin
Overhiser.
Communities inform the council
about what type of business they are
looking for, where they would want an
industry to be located, and what they
are willing to do to attract business to
their area. Tax breaks, for example,
would be one way of attracting a
business.
In order to be a member of the coun-
cil, a community pays a fee based on
the wealth and the population of the
community. The development council
also receives funds from the Michigan
Department of Commerce and the
common Growth Alliance.
The University also helps in attrac-
ting industry to Ann Arbor, according
to Ammann. "It's not uncommon for
the University to meet with business
leaders," he said.
By ANDREW ERIKSEN
John Allen and Elisha Walker Rumsey first arrived in the
area that was to become Ann Arbor to complete surveying'
and register claims for land. Obviously stumped for a name
for their new town, the pair dubbed the area Ann Arbor
through the most uncreative manner possible.
The name is the result of a combination of the names of the
wives of the founders of Ann Arbor and the appearance of the
city When they first came to the area.
ALLEN FROM Virginia and Rumsey from New York sur-
veyed the area in February of 1824 in a one-horse open sleigh
in order to claim the land then considered frontier. Then they
registered their claims at the U.S. land office in Detroit.
Allen bought 480 acres for $600 and Rumsey bought 160
acres for $200..
The name of Allen's wife was Ann and the name of Rum-
sey's wife was Mary Ann. Evidently, their descriptions of
Ann Arbor say the area was covered with oak trees which
formed an arbor. So, the name of Ann Arbor seems to be a
combination of the founding wives' names plus the fact that
r the area was covered with Oak trees.
In March of 1824, the first house in town-a framed
house-was built at the present day corner of Huron and Fir-
st Street. The founders began to advertise for residents for
the new town in a Detroit newspaper in June of that year.
THE FIRST primary school in Ann Arbor was opened in
September 1825. The townspeople later began a library in
1827 and by 1830 it had 100 volumes.
The University of Michigan, which was originally called
Catholepistemaid, was founded in Detroit in 1817. The
University was later moved to AnnArbwr by an act of the state
legislature in 1827.
Most historians believe that the University being moved to
Ann Arbor, was one of the most important historical events
for the city.
THE FIRST TRAIN rolled into the area in October of 1839.
The train linked Ann Arbor with Ypsilanti and Detroit. The
first professional theatrical group arrived January 1949
and the social scene was booming.
The Cobblestone Farm is one place to learn more about
Ann Arbor history. It is a pioneer farm museum built in 1844,
is on 4.5 acres and is listed on the National Register of
Historical Places. The farm is located on Packard Rd. next to
Buhr Park and is open weekends and holidays noon-5 p.m.
Admittance is $1 for adults and 50 cents for children.
' Another historical site is the Kempf House. The architec-
ture of the house built in 1853 is Greek Revival. Tours are.
arranged by appointment. The Kempf House is lcated at 312
S. Division near University Cellar.
This microchip (greatly enlarged), designed and produced at the
University's Solid State Electronics Laboratory, is a critical element in the
kind of high-tech industries that the city hopes will revitalize the economy of
the state.
Hih-tech lures
companies to.
butid in area
Capitalism and aesthetics mix at art fair
By GEORGEA KOVANIS
In Ann Arbor, the art fair is more
than a tradition, it's a way of life.
Every July, nearly a half million
people brave the blazing sun suf-
focating humidity and frequent thun-
dershowers to jam the city's streets and
search for expensive hand-dipped
candles and original watercolors.
"IT'S REALLY sort of a community
of artist that gets together for four
days," Dick Brunvand, an organizer for
the Ann Arbor Street Fair said.
The art fair, billed as the nation's
Council
split may
end soon
(Continued from Page 2)
Peterson, who is up for reelection next
April, and Larry Hunter, who ran
unopposed in this year's election.
Republicans Dick Deem and James
Blow represent the Second Ward, which
encompasses the affluent Burns Park
area. Deem's seat will be tested this
year.
The Third Ward is the city's swing
ward, and a difference of 78 votes would
have given incumbent Democrat
Raphael Ezekiel a victory last April
and the Democrats a majority on the
Council. Instead, newcomer Jeannette
Middleton defeated Ezekiel and shares
the ward's responsibility with
Democrat Jeffrey Epton.
The solidly Republican Fourth Ward
is represented by Larry Hahn and
Gerald Jernigan, a financial analyst at
the University. s g
Democrats have staged a
remarkable comeback in the Fifth
Ward over the past few years, with
Democrat Kathy Edgren narrowly
defeating incumbent Lou Velker in 1983
and University librarian Doris Preston
winning comfortably last April.
largest, is four days of laid-back fun.
From bargain clothes-mostly in last
year's styles and colors-to jugglers,
musicians, and even a few bona fide ar-
tists, this extravaganza boasts
something for everyone.
Actually, three individual art fairs
make up the annual July fest which
yields astronomical profits for local
merchants and parking headaches and
idea caught on. Las year, according to
Brunvand about 300 artists par-
ticipated.
The State Street Art Fair began in
1968 and is the smallest of the three
fairs. Aout 150 exhibitors participated
last year displaying ceramics, pain-
tings and photography stretching from
N. University to State Street, down to
Maynard and Liberty Streets.
'Yes, I believe that it's too commercial, but
what the answer to it is, I don't know.'
-Dick Brunvand
art fair organizer
ALTHOUGH THE FAIR is only
four days long, planning for these fairs
doesn't happen magically overnight.
Directors say that they begin plan-
ning for the next year as soon as the last
artists pack up their brushes and
easels.
However, even with all the planning,
the art fair is not without its problems.
Parking is horrendous. And with the
city's streets blocked off, there are
even fewer spots available. Many an
irritated tourist has muttered four let-
ter words after receiving a parking
ticket.
AND PRICES are outrageous. Items
at the fair range from $2 to $1500.
Many contend that the art fair has too
little art and it just a commercialized
gimmick. It seems that nearly
everyone can sell hand-woven
potholders at high prices.
"Yes, I believe that it's too commer-
cial but what the answer to it is, I don't
know," Brunvand said. "At a certain
point (venders) are taking advantage
of the crowds," he added.
But whether or not it's too commer-
cial, the art fair is something that's
become a city wide cause to celebrate
It's four days of fun that features
something for everyone.
By PETE WILLIAMS
It is no secret that Michigan's
economy is in a slump. As a way of
revitalizing the in~dustrial economic
base, the state's foundries and factories
are turning to high-tech.
High-tech is the political catch phrase
for an emerging group of computer,
electronics, and engineering com-
panies. With Ann Arbor's wealth of
these firms, the city seems the best
suited to be the high-tech capital of
Michigan.
PART OF the reason Ann Arbor has
earned this dubious honor - is the
University. Withits reputation as the
premier research institution in the
state and its nationally ranked School of
Engineering, the University is a
valuable asset in Ann Arbor's effort to
recruit high-tech companies.
As a sign of both the continued ex-
cellence of the engineering school and
the commitment of the state to high-
tech, a new $30 million state-funded
engineering building will soon be added
to the University's North Campus. The
major part of this structure will be
devoted to ,state-of-the-art electronics
and computer research.
A major portion of the building will be
used for an experimental microchip
manufacturing laboratory. According
to engineering Dean James Duderstadt,
this laboratory will allow students and
faculty to design and build special pur-
pose silicon chips.
"YOU ALMOST have to have that in
order to be state-of-the-art anymore,"
Duderstadt said.
Ann Arbor offers more to incoming
high-tech firms than a top-mnotch
university. Specifically, three research
parks are currently in operation in the
area. The most recent park, located
near North Campus, is expected to be
worth $250 million upon completion.
Research parks are similar to the
more common industrial parks in that
they offer transportation, sewers, and
other services essential for industrial
success. The plan is that firms with a
minimal amount of effort can have a
ready-made site located near a group of
similarly oriented companies.
ACCORDING TO University Vice
President for Research Alfred
Sussman, there is a less financial but
equally important reason high-tech
firms locate in Ann Arbor. That reason
simply is the cultural atmosphere per-
petuated by the diverse University
community.
"Young professionals like it here for
a number of reasons," Sussman said.
"It is inevitable that we would attract
that kind of commerce."
Sussman went on to say that
Michigan's economy is the foremost
reason the University actively recruits
high-tech forms.
"We take the view that as a state
university we would like to help the
state's economy, and one of our
missions is to do just that," lfe said. "To
the extent that the University makes it
more attractive for industry to locate in
Michigan, we will do everything we can
to help that - short of what is inap-
propriate for the University."
sunburn for tourists.
THE ANN ARBOR Street Art Fair is
the oldest of the three. This fair began
in 1960 as a tool to lure shoppers to
summer bargain days. Although only 99
artists hung their works on ropes strung
between parking meters that year, the
The largest of the three fairs is the
Summer Arts Festival, sponsored by
the University Artists and Craftsmen
Guild. Last year, according to guild
director Rita Bartolo, 515 artists par-
ticpated in the fair which covers Main
and State Street.
I
Pop Quiz: When does
$4.00 = $3.60?
Answer: When you shop in Ulrich's art and engineering
departments we deduct 10% from the price of all art and
engineering supplies at the cash register.
That's important to remember
when you're comparison shopping.
Check out the back page of the Sports Section for our
ih
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