COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Over $100,000 has been donated in the past 15 months towards the renovation of the former Putnam Funeral Home in downtown Coldwater to the Beech House at the Coldwater Community Center.
The building was unoccupied for about five years before the Community Center Board presented the idea to the Coldwater City Council for the multicultural center.
There is still a long way to go before all three floors of the 1856 structure can be fully functional.
Besides monetary donations, volunteers contributing nearly 1,700 hours in 2023 as most every room on the main floor has been remodeled.
The last room to be remodeled and restored on the first floor is the foyer which is in need of refinished hardwood floors. The grand staircase located within the foyer sustained water damage while unoccupied and is in need of a complete restoration.
Community Center Board President Kathie Bappert says, “We’ve made steady progress working to restore this historic gem. Thousands of dollars and volunteer hours have made this building shine again and we can’t wait to show it off to the community.”
She says if the Center is to be fully functional on all of the floors, significant funds will need to be continued to be raised.
If you’d like more information about the Coldwater Community Center, a tour of the Center, or to make a monetary donation to the Center, go to ColdwaterBeechHouse.org or watch the progress of the project on the Coldwater Community Center at the Beech House Facebook page.
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