The Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan is one of the biggest holders of historic homes in Ann Arbor, and those homes are in the midst of some badly needed upgrades.

The 77-year-old 501c3 non-profit is working its way through a 10-year plan to maintain and upgrade its 19 homes (most of which are about 100 years old or so) in and around downtown. Those improvements include replacing heating and cooling systems, sealing up energy leaks in old buildings and freshening up their face.

"We're constantly trying to update them for maintenance and energy efficiency improvements," says Eric Lipson, general manager of the Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan.

Take the Linder House, 711 Catherine on the north side of downtown. The Inter-Cooperative Council plans to revamp the historic home by replacing its original windows with more energy-inefficient ones that respect the character of the house. It also wants to tear off the old mid 20 Century asphalt siding shingles and replace them with hardy plank boards that emulate what the house first looked like after filling the walls with insulation.

The Inter-Cooperative Council is still trying to get approvals from the city and local historic district before starting construction in the spring. It did similar work to the Ruth's House on Thayer Street last year and won a historic preservation award.

"We're not only looking at the short term on this," Lipson says. "We're holding onto them indefinitely. We're in it for the long haul."

Source: Eric Lipson, general manager of the Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke