Bricks were purchased to raise over $10,000 to alleviate the cost of moving this trolley shaped pavilion to Loranger Square near city hall in Monroe, Michigan. The bricks are arranged in a diagonal crosswalk in front of the pavilion from the northeast to the southwest corner of the square. They are a charcoal grey in color with black etching.
"It took more than a century, but a dream of the St. Paul s Ladies Aid Society will soon come true.
The funny thing is, no one realized it until lately.
A few years ago, the Downtown Monroe Business Network approached the Monroe Arts and Beautification Fund Committee about building a community pavilion on the northwest corner of Loranger Square downtown. The site stood empty, and civic leaders wanted a gathering spot for residents in the heart of the government district, said Debbie Haines of the fund panel.
As they researched the area and the idea, they unearthed an 1895 article in the Monroe Mirror, published by the Ladies Aid Society. In it, members suggested improvements for the downtown area, including ornamental foliage beds, fountains, walkways, and ... a pavilion.
People have thought for 100 years that it would be the perfect place for community gatherings, Ms. Haines said.
Work began last summer on the project, which is expected to be completed in the coming months. The open-air pavilion, made of granite, limestone, and timber with a metal roof and wrought-iron railings, will measure 22 feet by 36 feet. Ornamental beds will surround it.
Seeing as it sits on a prime location, the city and the county did not want a green wood gazebo, said Dave Stahl, who helped design it. They wanted something that would give all the respect to the people of Monroe and represent the county in a proper way. They wanted something that was going to last, with low maintenance.
Bill Saul, special envoy for project research with the Monroe Arts and Beautification Fund Committee, was in on the design too.
We spent a tremendous amount of effort on the design, into giving this thing beauty, Mr. Saul said. It s designed to look like a trolley."-
Toledo Blade