"Raise the Roof" funding project for Calumet Heritage Center to continue 30 years of renovation

By Jean Ellis*

The Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's (KHC) in Calumet needs a new roof! Jean Ellis, KHC Board of Directors co-chair, tells why in this article. (Photo courtesy Keweenaw Heritage Center)

Sounds of polka music and aromas of delicious food emanated from the Keweenaw Heritage Center a Saturday night in late August 2024. In the Bob Langseth Sandstone Hall, supporters dined and danced during an effort to "Raise the Roof." Replacing a shingled roof that was put on in 1928 is no small task.

The World's Most Dangerous Polka Band performs during the August 24, 2024, "Raise the Roof " dinner dance fundraiser at the Keweenaw Heritage Center in Calumet. Musicians, from right, are Teri and Jim Enrietti, Jack Chamberlain and John Peiffer. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

The building that is the Keweenaw Heritage Center began in 1901 as St. Anne’s church. For 65 years, it served a primarily French-Canadian congregation. In 1966, along with two other Roman Catholic churches, it was deconsecrated. Pews, chandeliers, the organ, and almost anything moveable were sold.

During the next 26 years, the building suffered from misuse and neglect. In the 1970s and 80s, people walking on Fifth Street may have seen the sign "Olde St. Anne’s" advertising what claimed to be an antique store on Calumet’s main thoroughfare. By late 1990, bushes had taken root in the sandstone, leaks had created openings for pigeons, and broken glass block windows allowed various critters to move into the basement. No wonder the building became the setting for part of a horror movie!

This photo, taken from a 1994 video (not the horror movie!) by the Rev. Robert Langseth, shows how bushes had taken root in the sandstone and front steps were broken.

These photos show damage to shingles -- allowing animals to enter the building.

(Photos courtesy Keweenaw Heritage Center)

More photos from Rev. Langseth's 1994 video show damage to the inside of the building. (Photos courtesy Keweenaw Heritage Center)

The death of the "antique store" owner meant that another change was imminent. Rumor had it that the building had been sold and the new owner planned to remove the stained glass windows and let the building go. Efforts to save the capstone of Calumet’s main street began. Rev. Langseth’s successful fund-raising resulted in the $38,000 needed to buy the building. Volunteers came forward to fill five two-ton dump trucks with junk. A 1994 open-house attracted people to serve on a Board of Directors. An assessment of the building estimated that at least $1 million would be needed. 

With a lack of storm windows, lead holding stained glass panes was weakened in the wind, causing glass to fall out. (Photo courtesy Keweenaw Heritage Center)

The repaired stained glass windows, like this one, have survived windy weather without damage. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

In 2024, thirty years after the rescue began, this all-volunteer organization can look back on having raised more than $1.7 million to install heat, electricity and water, shore up the steeple, replace glass block windows, repair stained glass windows, tuck point the sandstone, make the building handicap accessible, stabilize the balcony, etc., etc., etc.  More than 100,000 volunteer hours have gone into the effort. Today, the building is a beautiful setting for weddings, gatherings, concerts, dinners, and meetings. Rents, admission fees, donations, bequests, and grants have provided resources.

This plaque in the KHC's Bob Langseth Sandstone Hall expresses appreciation for the volunteer work done by the late Rev. Robert V. Langseth in raising funds and helping to save the building. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

The former altar is now a stage and part of the upstairs exhibit / concert hall, once St. Anne's church. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

Keweenaw Heritage Center highlights the history of the Keweenaw and its citizens in summer exhibits. Organ music delights audiences in concerts. Thanks to the generous support of area musicians, Musical Mondays are a feature of the summer. And through all of this, work continues to meet the building’s needs. Raise the Roof will be a long-term project, a major expense due to the size of the roof.

The Keweenaw Heritage Center received this restored Barckhoff pipe organ from the family of the late Lutheran pastor, Rev. John Simonson. It was finally moved to the repaired KHC choir loft in 2007.** (Keweenaw Now file photo. See link to article below.)

1994 to 2024 -- thirty years of effort. In a way, two quotes sum up the enormity. The first came from someone who had just watched a video shot when the clean-up began. He said, "I can’t believe you didn’t just walk away from it." The second came from a speaker closely affiliated with historical buildings:  "What you have done for this building is a model for every community. Far too much of our history has been lost. You kept that from happening."

After welcoming guests to the August 24, 2024, "Raise the Roof " dinner dance fundraiser, Co-chairs of the KHC Board of Directors Jean Ellis, left, author of this article, and Phyllis Locatelli pause for a photo at the donation table. Guests are invited to purchase a shingle for the model of the roof as a donation and write their name on a paper "shingle."

Another quote that might apply to the reason for this effort of historic preservation is from Emerson's "To a Rhododendron": "If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being."

The story isn’t over. Raise the Roof is another chapter. Please join in and help.

Donations can be mailed to the following address:

Keweenaw Heritage Center c/o Calumet Township
25880 Red Jacket Road
Calumet, MI 49913

Editor's Notes:

 * Jean Ellis, author of this article, is a co-chair, along with Phyllis Locatelli, of the Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's.

** See the Keweenaw Now August 5, 2009, article, "A Pipe Dream comes true -- Organ Celebration Concert in Calumet Aug. 5, by Anita Campbell, on the history of KHC's organ.

For more information about the Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's, visit their Web site. For information on membership and tax-deductible donations click here.