Walk through Ypsilanti's downtown, Depot Town or sprawling historic neighborhoods and it's pretty easy to see why Eastern Michigan University recently won a preservation award from the Michigan Historic Preservation Network.

"It's one of those awards that says to the community that Eastern Michigan respects its past and uses it to move forward," says Ted Ligibel, a professor who teaches about historic preservation at Eastern Michigan and runs its historic preservation program.

The Government/Institutional Award recognizes how the university has worked to preserve and maintain its core historic campus. It's the type of campus that compliments the surrounding historic neighborhoods and commercial districts. Ypsilanti is home to one of the biggest historic districts in Michigan.

Eastern Michigan has restored a number of its historic buildings (many of them are listed on the National Register of Historic Places), including Welch Hall (1896), Sherzer Hall (1903), Pease Auditorium (1914) and McKenny Hall (1930-31).

"It has a long history," Ligibel says. "A lot of these buildings are late 19th Century buildings that offer a peak into the university's early heritage."

Source: Ted Ligibel, professor at Eastern Michigan University
Writer: Jon Zemke