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Historic home reopens after renovation, already gets in Christmas spirit

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If you thought last winter’s ice storm did a number on you, be happy you’re not 159 years old — the cold gets tougher the older you get.

For Old Town’s historic Turner-Dodge House, built in 1858, the deep freeze caused a sprinkler pipe on the third floor to burst last February. It flooded the cultural heritage center and rental facility’s west end, including the dining room and basement. Michael Beebe, president of the nonprofit group Friends of Turner-Dodge, said that although the water did destroy some of the walls, floors and vintage wallpaper, it could have been a lot worse.

“We were very lucky,” Beebe said. “We were able to turn the water off rather quickly, and a restoration group got in there right away. There wasn’t any damage to the house’s art or furniture, and what was damaged we were able to repair with minimal cost. We came through very well, considering.”

The Turner-Dodge House, 100 E. North St., reopened last week after five months of interior and exterior renovation. Work included the resurfacing of the floors, which Beebe said were badly needed even before the damage. Initial estimates by the City of Lansing put repair costs upward of $50,000, but Lansing Parks and Recreation Director Brett Kaschinske said the final tally wound up at $103,045, of which the 11-member Friends of Turner- Dodge board kicked in $30,000. (An additional $80,000 for painting the exterior and an upcoming $16,365 masonry touch-up job was already scheduled for the house before the accident.)

Kaschinske said repair costs were divvied up among the city, the Friends and insurance payments. And it’s getting a little more help from its Friends next week.

Beebe and his group will hold a public fundraiser to subsidize the repairs next week at another landmark Lansing home: The Potter House, 1348 Cambridge Road, in the Moores Park Neighborhood. Homeowners Jim McClurken and Sergei Kvitko will entertain donors with three floors of food, drinks and live jazz and classical music. Jim Perkins, a professor of architecture at both Michigan State University and Lansing Community College, will lead tours of the 1927 Tudor Revival-style home.

“Jim and Sergei are incredible about opening their home for events like this,” Beebe said. “It’s a great setting. We’re very thankful to them.” (McClurken doesn’t seem to see it as a favor, but a responsibility: “We own it, but it really belongs to the community,” he told City Pulse in a 2012 interview.)

Now that renovation work is done, Beebe has turned to the next big function that will occupy the Turner-Dodge House: The third annual Festival of Trees. The Christmas tree-decorating contest, which doubles as a fundraiser for the building, was previously open only to Old Town residents and businesses, but this year Beebe said the board decided to make it a citywide affair.

“When we limited it to just Old Town, we didn’t get the response we wanted,” Beebe said. “And when others said they might be interested in participating, it made sense to be as inclusive as possible.”

The Friends partner with Lansing Parks and Recreation to run the competition. Beebe said that 15 entrants have already committed to decorating trees, and he said if word gets out, that number could easily double.

“People can do it either for fun or to promote their business,” Beebe said. “As long as the tree has a theme, it’s good. The Costume Shop (run by Riverwalk Theatre) is going to do a tree in the shape of a dress. The more creative, the better.”

The Costume Shop joins Preuss Pets, Craig Mitchell Smith Glass and Great Lakes Artworks, all back for the third time. The trees will be on public display on all three floors of the Turner-Dodge, with voting starting Dec. 12 at a gala opening event. A team of local celebrity judges — Evan Pinsonnault and Jane Aldrich from WLNS- TV and Wharton Center spokesman/ WSYM-TV personality Bob Hoffman — will lead the judging, and Beebe said a tree may be auctioned off. Proceeds from both events go back to the House, just in case there’s another emergency.

“(The Turner-Dodge House) is an invaluable resource for Lansing,” Beebe said. “It’s a historic home, giving a sense of the city’s past, and its’ a great place to host events, like the Renegade Festival, so it’s kind of looking ahead, too. And after all this work, it’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen it.”

Turner-Dodge House Fundraiser

6-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 The Potter House 1348 Cambridge Road, Lansing $35 RSVP by Friday, Nov. 7 to beebe.michael@yahoo.com or (517) 372-1348

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