City moves close to opening historical museum

By Charles Sercombe
Hamtramck’s Historical Commission is on the verge of getting a much-waited for museum location.
But don’t start the move-in yet.
The city has a tentative deal with the owner of the former PLAV Post 1 Hall on Holbrook at McDougall. City Manager Bill Cooper said the two-story building has to pass an inspection, especially to see if an elevator can be installed.
If the deal does go through, the state of Michigan has pledged to kick in $50,000.
However, the Historical Commission will still need to raise an additional $300,000 to cover the cost of installing an elevator (about $200,000) and to finish other improvements that are needed. The commission has been hunting for a site for several years.
At one time the former Pieronek photography studio on Jos. Campau was considered as well as the former DTE office.
As of now, only a fraction of the commission’s collection is on display in City Hall.