Historical Society of Michigan 7435 Westshire Drive Lansing, MI 48917 Contact: Nancy Feldbush (517) 324-1828 <mailto:hsm@hsmichigan.org> hsm@hsmichigan.org For Immediate Release Historical Society of Michigan Moves to New Building, Triples Education Space With Help From The Meijer Foundation LANSING, Mich.-The Historical Society of Michigan (HSM) has moved to a larger headquarters in the greater Lansing area at 7435 Westshire Drive, located near the intersection of I-96 and M-43. The move from HSM's previous location in southern Lansing occurred in mid-July. The new building has nearly 12,000 square feet of space and, with some minor modifications, will offer three education spaces-all with remote learning capabilities-tripling the amount of education opportunities from the old building. The move to the new building and the future improvements to the education spaces were made possible by a major gift from The Meijer Foundation and contributions made by HSM members and friends to the Society's previous building's mortgage-reduction campaign. A longtime supporter of HSM, The Meijer Foundation has been a committed ally in the Society's educational efforts to share the history and heritage of all Michigan's peoples. "Our staff and Board of Trustees are excited about how this move will help us advance our mission of history education," said Executive Director and CEO Larry J. Wagenaar, who leads the 191-year-old nonprofit and nongovernmental organization. "This move gives us significantly more public meeting space in order to deliver expanded programs and services about Michigan's rich and fascinating history, as well as provides for the next steps of the Society's continued growth and impact." HSM's programs, which will be enhanced and expanded because of the move, include its two history magazines, Michigan History and Chronicle; three annual history conferences; the yearlong Michigan History DayR program for students; History Skills WorkshopsT; History HoundsT Lecture Series; Michiganders on the RoadT motor coach history tours; the Michigan History MomentT radio program; the Michigan History AllianceT networking program across the state; and more. "For the first time, we will have the ability to hold simultaneous history education programs in our building," Wagenaar said. "We also plan to add technology to allow easy remote access to even more of this programming so people anywhere in the state-and beyond-can fully participate." In addition, the new location offers more room for staff, small meeting spaces, more storage and an expanded area for HSM's library of Michigan history books. The building is closer to the freeway for easy access and to major hotels and restaurants for visitors to use. The Historical Society of Michigan, publisher of Michigan History and Chronicle magazines, is the state's oldest cultural organization, founded in 1828 by territorial governor Lewis Cass and explorer Henry Schoolcraft. A nongovernmental nonprofit, the Society focuses on publications, conferences, education, awards and recognition programming, and support for local history organizations to preserve and promote Michigan's rich history. # # # This e-mail is sent to our members and friends to keep you updated on historical activities and opportunities to learn more about our state's history. To opt-out, please respond to this e-mail with "remove" in the subject line. If you received this e-mail as part of your participation in the Michlib-l mailing list (listserv), please follow their removal process.
