Holy Family Orphanage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holy Family Orphanage |
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Holy Family Orphanage in July 2011
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| General information | |
| Status | Renovated |
| Classification | apartments |
| Address | 600 Altamont Street |
| Town or city | Marquette, Michigan |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 46°32′25″N 87°24′12″W / 46.54028°N 87.40333°W |
| Construction started | 1914 |
| Opened | 1915 |
| Closed | 1981-2016 |
| Cost | US$100,000 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Brick and South Marquette Sandstone |
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Holy Family Orphanage
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| NRHP reference No. | 15000701 |
| Added to NRHP | October 5, 2015 |
The Holy Family Orphanage was once a large Catholic building in Marquette, Michigan. It was a home for children who didn't have families to care for them. The building is located at 600 Altamont Street.
It is an important historical place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 5, 2015. The building first opened in 1915. It stopped caring for children in 1967 and was empty for many years after 1982. Some people even say it was a haunted place when it was abandoned!
What the Orphanage Was Like
At its busiest, the Holy Family Orphanage was home to about 200 children. These children came from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and nearby areas.
The building was very big. It had many rooms for different activities.
- There were classrooms where children learned.
- It had bedrooms and bathrooms for all the kids.
- There were also laundry rooms and kitchen areas.
- A special chapel was inside for prayers and services.
The orphanage was mostly built with strong brick. The front entrance was fancy. It was made from a special type of rock called South Marquette Sandstone.
A Look at Its History
Building the Holy Family Orphanage started in 1914. It cost about $100,000 back then. The building was finished and opened in 1915.
When it first opened, the orphanage mostly took in children from second to eighth grade. Later, they also welcomed babies and older children.
The orphanage was first meant for white children. However, some of the first kids to live there were 60 Native American children. They came from another Catholic home called St. Joseph in Assinins. These children had been moved there to help them learn about white culture.
Later, in 1963, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette helped a group of child refugees. These children came from Cuba as part of a program called Operation Pedro Pan.
The orphanage helped hundreds of children from 1915 until it closed in 1965. The offices stayed open a bit longer, until 1981. After that, the whole building was empty.
For many years, the building was abandoned. In 1998, a local businessman bought it. He wanted to turn it into a home for older people, but this plan didn't happen. Later, in 2008, another person planned to turn it into a school for performing arts. This plan also did not happen.
New Life: Renovations in 2016
In August 2016, something new began for the old orphanage. A special event was held to start work on the building. It was going to be turned into new homes called Grandview Apartments.
The old orphanage building is now an affordable housing complex. It has 56 apartments with one, two, or three bedrooms. This means more people can have a good place to live.
Many groups worked together to make this happen. These included Home Renewal Systems, Community Action Alger Marquette, and others. The project cost about $15.8 million. It was supported by special tax credits that help with housing and historic buildings.
