A group of Lansing preservations, officials and community members want to protect the old Eastern High School from demolition by seeking to make the nearly 100-year-old building part of a historic district.
University of Michigan Health-Sparrow plans to create a $97 million psychiatric facility at the site of the former school. The hospital system has said Eastern would need to be torn down for the project, citing structural issues that make it ill-suited for providing mental health treatment.
Lansing City Councilmember Ryan Kost, who represents the Eastside ward where the former school is located, is part of the Committee to Preserve Historic Eastern and Promote Mental Health. He said the group agrees that there is a need for expanding behavioral health in the area and that the school is not the right space for it.
But Kost said the facility can be built without having to raze a nearly 100-year-old building.
“Why are we not going to try to save this historical building that was built in 1926 with absolutely beautiful architecture ... really a gem of the city of Lansing, when so many historical buildings have been lost?”
The preservation group is asking the Lansing City Council to authorize a committee that could study the possibility of making Eastern part of a historic district. The move would institute requirements for changes to the site, making proposals to demolish the building or modify its exterior subject to city approval
On its website, UM Health-Sparrow states Eastern is "the only site in Lansing that is appropriate for the behavioral health facility our community needs." The hospital argues the building's short distance from the emergency department, public transportation and outdoor space make it the optimal location.
Kost said Sparrow owns 20 acres of surface parking space in the area and could instead pursue the project on a nearby lot.
"Let's be creative with this," he said. "How can we truly help folks, and at the same time be a good neighbor?”
Kost said there are developers interested in preserving and redeveloping Eastern for senior living accommodations—a change he argues would also improve mental health outcomes.
"Housing instability really messes with the person's mental health care. The amount of stress and depression that comes with not having housing security is immense."
