CLEMENTS RECALLED: Officials Visit Home of Bay City Americana Collector
September 11, 2014
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Ron Bloomfield displays a Clements family photo album at the Bay County Historical Museum.
Tom Birch, Bay County Library System director, shows group the old safe in the Sage Library.
William L. Clements of Bay City built the world's largest cranes and collected the most notable books on American history.
Top officials of the library he donated to the University of Michigan visited here last week and were given a tour of Clements-related sites by retired attorney Bob Sarow and others interested in the iconic Bay City tycoon.
Among the group were Phyllis Pfund, whose mother worked in the Clements household in the 1920s and took many candid photos of the family. Also on hand was Judy Farley, of Saginaw, whose father, Hoyt Hayes, was president of the Industrial Brownhoist, owned by Mr. Clements.
The newly restored City Hall was viewed from the ground floor to the fourth floor, with renovations described by Patty Stowell, city economic development marketing director. Mr. Sarow commented that Mr. Clements must have walked the hallowed marble halls frequently while he ran the nearby Industrial Works.
The Clements family's first home, formerly called the Clements Inn, at Center Avenue and Johnson Street, was also part of the tour, hosted by current owner Michelle Roberts.
Ron Bloomfield, director of operations and chief historian, showed the group a Clements family photo album that was donated to the Bay County Historical Museum.
At iconic Sage Library, Bay County Library Director Tom Birch explained the origin of the building and facts about its dedication in 1888.
Kevin Graffignino, director of the William L. Clements Library in Ann Arbor, told details of the massive renovation currently underway. On November 15, 2012, the Regents of the University of Michigan gave first approval for a long-anticipated and much-needed $16.8 million renovation of the Clements Library building.
The project budget consists of $10 million in University funds and $6.8 million in private-sector grants and donations. Designed by the great Michigan architect Albert Kahn, the Clements opened its doors in 1923 and has been serving scholars at 909 South University Avenue ever since.
While minor improvements have occurred during the past ninety years, the building and its mechanical systems have never had a comprehensive upgrade. The renovation project will include improvements to all three floors of the building as well as the construction of a two-level underground addition to house mechanical systems on the lower floor and collections on the upper.
The climate-controlled collections space will add 3,000 square feet of stacks. The second floor of the original 1923 building will be entirely converted to collections storage. The lower level will provide curatorial offices, collections work space, and meeting/orientation rooms.
The renovation will include only minor changes to the first floor, which is known for the iconic Great Room, with its distinctive woodwork, bookcases, and decorative ceiling. On May 6 this was formally named the "Avenir Foundation Room" in recognition of the foundation's generous project grant of $6 million.
The most significant change will be in the use of the Avenir Foundation Room. One-half of this magnificent space will serve researchers as the reading room, while the other half will be exhibit space.
Visitors and readers will enter the Library at two points: the South Door leading from the loggia facing South University Avenue directly to the Avenir Foundation Room, and the fully accessible North Entrance that will open to a spacious reception lobby and elevator.
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