Guest wrote: ↑November 3, 2023, 3:28 pm
Who owns the property that the Maritime Center is located on? Is it owned by the city of Port Huron, county or someone else?
Other than a small strip of land along the shore, wide enough for a riverwalk (which was likely donated to the city), the property is owned by a private development company. They purchased it years ago from the railroads that used it prior, and the intent has always been to develop it for commercial or residential purposes. The existing building was always considered temporary, in fact I believe it is a pre-fabricated structure that can easily be moved from location to location.
Numerous studies have resulted in various concept drawings for the site over the years. Initially they included a publicly accessible permanent maritime center. But that concept never gained much support from outside developers or investors so it appears that more recent proposals have revolved around residential development nearest to the shoreline.
Who owns the property that the Maritime Center is located on? Is it owned by the city of Port Huron, county or someone else?
If it's owned by the city, then would they not want to build a park, instead of selling the land to condo developers who would cut access public access to that part of the river front. Cities now have a greater say in how their waterfronts are used then in the past.
While participation in these discussion boards isn't as active as it was in the past, the public's interest is far more active on social media and even Youtube. I've seen a couple of recent Youtube videos on the Edmund Fitzgerald that have a million views, so there is an interest. For many, it was the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald that piqued a lot of people's interest in Great Lakes shipping. I would say interest in shipping is generally still there, but how people get that information has changed. It's now mostly on Facebook - for better or for worse.
I belong to a Google weather discussion group for Canada, that at one time was quite active amongst weather enthusiasts, storm chasers, media and government meteorologists. Today, that discussion group may only have a handful of discussions in a year, everyone has moved on to Twitter and Instagram.
I think there are a couple more factors dealing with the closing of the Maritime Center than a declining hobby. First and foremost one of the things working against the AV center was the lack of promotion outside of the area. I'd have friends come up from Detroit or out of state that had visited Port Huron's waterfront numerous times and not know where the center was or even heard of it. They were surprised something was there when I took them there. The number two reason was how poor quality parking was and getting to the building was. They gated off Water Street about 4 years ago which made the only way in on Court Street more congested and used. The parking lot was like a B-52 practice range and never was kept up. Also the building itself was more of a less permanent structure that limited its use to conversion to a restaurant or a bar of some sort.
Guest wrote: ↑October 29, 2023, 11:01 am
Just read the maritime center in Port Huron is no more. Very unfortunate event. Will miss it dearly
I guess those of us who follow and appreciate the boats are dying off and the younger folks just don’t care.
What a shame
Haven't attended the Soo gathering lately, have you? I'd say half of the attendees are under 40.
But what are the overall attendance numbers in comparison to those of 20 years ago or so when these events began to gain popularity? I have been involved in this hobby since the 1970s and it seems that it has been dying a slow death since at least the early 1990s. Will there always be people interested in Great Lakes shipping? Absolutely, and for as long as the industry exists. This applies to all age groups. However, there seems to have been a definite decline in the popularity of this subject over the years. One thing that has helped since the beginning of widespread use of the internet is the ability for the hobby to reach a much wider audience, but, for the most part, it remains largely a regional special interest subject. This phenomenon is not just limited to Great Lakes shipping, as many types of hobbies have lost favor over the past decades with much smaller numbers of people being interested in them. Does anybody else remember the plethora of ceramic shops of the 1970s and 1980s?
Guest wrote: ↑October 29, 2023, 11:01 am
Just read the maritime center in Port Huron is no more. Very unfortunate event. Will miss it dearly
I guess those of us who follow and appreciate the boats are dying off and the younger folks just don’t care.
What a shame
Haven't attended the Soo gathering lately, have you? I'd say half of the attendees are under 40.
As a regular visitor the maritime center I question their numbers. Seems busier than they say. Jim Acheson died, it was his project. The foundation can get a ton of money for the land so why not. Hello condos!
I’d say that’s a proper explanation. Same reason this board is dying out. Except for the new mark barker it’s just the same old ships with occasionally different names. See one new Canadian laker of their modernization you’ve seen them all. Not much variety or excitement anymore.
Just read the maritime center in Port Huron is no more. Very unfortunate event. Will miss it dearly
I guess those of us who follow and appreciate the boats are dying off and the younger folks just don’t care.
What a shame