Projects

As approved by the National Park Service, a focal point of AIHPC restoration work has been the historic West Bay Club Lodge on Sand Island. This property is located within the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Fee title is held by the United States, with a life estate held by Howard Peters of Mellen, Wisconsin. The Lodge has been determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Designed in 1912, the Lodge is historically significant for its role in the development of tourism in the Apostle Islands region and its association with the renowned architectural firm of Charles Buechner and Henry Orth, who built it for their personal use. To date, the Conservancy has provided both funds and donated labor to replace the dock at the Lodge, conducted major grading and landscaping work to improve site drainage and protect the building’s log foundation, and repaired numerous structural features. In March 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Midwest Office, awarded the AIHPC a matching grant under the prestigious Jeffris Family Endowed Preservation Fund to prepare a detailed condition assessment/building structural condition study of the Lodge. Completed in November 2011, the study will be used to direct additional restoration projects of the Lodge, as approved by the National Park Service. With the assistance of five leading historic preservation experts, the Conservancy prepared the nomination report for listing the West Bay Club on the National Register of Historic Places. That report is now undergoing final review for submission to the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Officer. During the summer of 2013, the Conservancy carried out a project to restore the icehouse and enlisted the help of a youth group from the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa.

The AIHPC supported the City of Washburn in its efforts to restore the Memorial Park kitchen. Established in 1919, the DuPort Patriotic Committee donated the Park to the City. The Park serves as a memorial to the soldiers, sailors, and marines of Washburn who fought in World War I. Built in 1924, the kitchen building has supported the active use of the Park for picnics and community events. The AIHPC made a grant donation to the City to support moving the building to a dry location in the Park and for restoration work. In addition, through the volunteer services of retired National Park Service historian Bob Mackreth, the AIHPC donated a mitigation strategy to ensure recognition of the kitchen’s historic significance and a detailed history of the structure and an interpretative plan.