There’s no place like home.
We at the Fishtown Preservation Society are pleased to announce exciting developments for FPS and our long, quiet search for a permanent place from which to care for Fishtown.
- FPS Press Release: “Fishtown Preservation Establishing Permanent Headquarters in Leland’s Van Raalte House.” DONATE TODAY!
- Leelanau Ticker story, by Craig Manning,
We welcome the Van Raalte House, in the heart of Leland and on the Leland River, as the future home of Fishtown Preservation. The house was built in 1960 to provide a home for a family central to life in Leland, and we are embracing that spirit as we transform their longtime home into a place central to the future of Leland’s vibrant Fishtown.
The possibility of being able to acquire the property from the Van Raalte family in 2024 was well-timed for us, but because we hadn’t known it was coming, a short fundraising window also gave the situation some urgency. For the $2.2 million purchase, we turned largely to a small group of previous (and generous) supporters of Fishtown Preservation.
We have now had the opportunity to develop a vision for the house and grounds — and find both to be even better suited for our needs than we expected. Because it was so well-built, the overall structure and appearance of the house will change little. But as you’d expect, the interior will require substantial modifications to convert it from a family home into the center of operations for Fishtown Preservation.
After more than 18 years in a small, rented office we will now have space from which to develop expanded interpretation, displays, and educational programming. And the staff will finally be physically present on the edge of Fishtown itself, and with sufficient space for operational activities as well as archival storage. We also envision additional growth related to caring for our vessels, commercial fishing, and the Great Lakes environment. Our goal is to be ambitious but also flexible. The future will bring possibilities we can’t yet foresee, and we want the Van Raalte House to serve both the present and the future of Fishtown.
Current estimates for these extensive house renovations and site work, including contingencies, total $1,067,000. Thanks to generous supporters, Fishtown Preservation has raised approximately two-thirds of the total, with $420,000 remaining. Please join us in helping to shape the future of Fishtown.
Aerial view of the Van Raalte House [green] on Lake Street and Fishtown Preservation’s
property [orange] on the north and south sides of the Leland River.
