“The picture in the January issue is part of the old fire house,” writes first-time entrant Amy Saalberg. Also known as the Engine House, says Justine Geidosch, it “is now part of the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.”
“Lots of sensory experiences to be had in there!” writes Joe Cialdella, referring to the clue: “for all the senses.” David Karl remembers visiting the museum with his young son when he first moved to Ann Arbor “and enjoying it as much as he did.”
Built in 1882–83 for $10,000, the firehall was the “most expensive structure the city owned at the time,” according to Susan Wineberg in Historic Ann Arbor: An Architectural Guide. The detail shown is, in Wineberg’s words, “one of the most distinctive elements … the sculpture of a fireman’s cap in the window lintels.”
“The Fire Dept. stayed in that building for 96 years until 1978 when the new building was built just north of the old one,” writes Karl. “At that time Cynthia Yao proposed to the city council that the building be converted to a special kind of museum for children. The Hands-On Museum was born.”
We received ten correct entries in January. Our random drawing winner is Sara Kitzsteiner who will enjoy her $25 gift certificate at Zingerman’s.
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