DETROIT – According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, there is some interest in saving the Belle Isle Boathouse in Detroit.
The boathouse, built in 1902, was deemed structurally unsound in 2022 and it remains at risk of being demolished.
When you look at the boathouse, you can see its potential. It has so much history attached to it, and many people want it to be restored and put to good use.
“It’s located right next to the Belle Isle Bridge,” said Belle Isle Boathouse Historian Stephen Malbouef. “It is something that everyone entering or leaving the island has to drive by.”
“There is so much history that’s in that boathouse,” said Friends of Detroit Rowing President Henry Goitz.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, five proposals are on the table to save the Belle Isle Boathouse from demolition.
The deadline to submit viable proposals was Friday (March 29).
“I’m very much looking forward to seeing what comes ahead,” Malbouef said. “I think it has a very bright future.”
He said the building houses so much history.
“I have just been interested in doing anything I can to save this building because it is something that deserves to be saved,” Malbouef said.
Goitz said Friends of Detroit Rowing has a lease for the building, yet they can’t access it because of the condition. He said the nonprofit has spent a large amount of money trying to preserve the building over the years.
“We certainly hope that something comes through where the state feels that it is a viable option, that we can actually both preserve the building, restore it somewhat to have rowing out of that building, and have whatever it needs to maintain itself over the years to come,” Goitz said.
The DNR plans to review those five proposals next week. Then, it will pick the viable ones, ask them to submit a formal proposal by July.