Home News ACHP Seeks Dialogue with VA on Management of Historic Facilities Briefing Material on Proposed Demolition of Allen Park VAMC

Briefing Material on Proposed Demolition of
Allen Park VAMC

Background. The congressionally mandated abandonment of the Allen Park Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) calls for total demolition of the facility, which is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The eight-building, Georgian Revival complex was constructed between 1937 and 1939 on land in Allen Park, near Detroit, which was donated to the Federal Government by Henry and Clara Ford. (See attached maps [topographic small; topographic close up; and existing conditions site plan] and photographs [B1 and B7-B8).

The direction for the current fate of the facility was set in 1986, when the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) decided to construct a new VAMC in downtown Detroit. At that time, the long range plan for the Allen Park VAMC site was reuse for a new long term care facility. However, by the time the new Detroit VAMC opened 10 years later, funding had never been allocated for construction at Allen Park, and VA's focus had shifted from inpatient to outpatient care. Recently, only about one-tenth of the Allen Park VAMC's square footage has been in use.

The original deed to the Federal Government stipulated that the land would revert to its original owners, now represented by Ford Motor Land Development Corporation (Ford), if it ceased to be used for care of veterans. During the late 1990s, State and local representatives entered into discussions with VA and Congressman John Dingell regarding the property's potential reversion, which would return it to the tax rolls. (The Michigan State Historic Preservation Officer [SHPO] and other preservation organizations were not included in these discussions.)

The outcome was a provision in the Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 2000 requiring VA to enter into a contract with Ford to demolish the Allen Park complex, for which the company will be reimbursed $14 million. When demolition is complete, VA will abandon the property, allowing it to revert.

Section 106 Consultation. The federally funded demolition and the abandonment of the site are Federal undertakings, and VA initiated consultation pursuant to Section 106 in January 2001. However, the terms of the legislation precluded the option of discussing alternatives to demolition. VA's proposed mitigation included: archiving of historic records; consultation with the Michigan SHPO on a commemorative flagpole and memorial called for in the legislation; and salvage of architectural elements.

The Michigan SHPO, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and State and local preservation groups indicated that they felt such mitigation to be inadequate. Since further on-site mitigation was not possible, they proposed creating a $2 million historic preservation fund to benefit other historic properties, patterned on several such funds that have been established as mitigation for projects in other parts of the country.

Ford and VA rejected the preservation fund alternative. Ford also indicated that, while it does not have clear plans for the site, it is unwilling to delay total demolition while exploring possible options for preservation during its planning. Efforts to explore other off-site mitigation, either in Allen Park or at other historic properties owned by Ford, was unsuccessful. Since VA needed to enter into the mandated contract with Ford by September 30, 2001, VA terminated consultation and requested formal ACHP comment.

Updated April 26, 2002

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