Monday, February 06, 2006

Wayne County

Officials debate the future of Eloise

Only two buildings are occupied at the complex that once housed a mental hospital and poorhouse.

Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News

WESTLAND -- In its heyday, the county hospital and poorhouse known as Eloise was a sprawling, 902-acre community that housed 10,000 poor, homeless, sick and mentally ill people on the north side of Michigan Avenue between Merriman and Middle Belt.

Today, five buildings are all that remain of the complex, which includes a crumbling, 200-foot smokestack from the abandoned power house that once provided steam to the entire compound through a system of underground tunnels.

Wayne County, which owns the property, is debating what to do about the smokestack, which officials concede may be a hazard to the people inhabiting the complex's two remaining occupied structures: the Kay Beard Building, which houses some county offices, and the Wayne County Family Center, a homeless shelter. Children and their parents who live at the center use an entrance close to the smokestack.

Dealing with the smokestack could start the last chapter of the Eloise story, officials say. Once the immediate safety problem is addressed, the county will begin the process of deciding the future of the remaining structures.

The eventual end of the ancient institution is inevitable, said Westland resident Jo Johnson, who is president of The Friends of Eloise, a group devoted to preserving the history of Eloise -- named for the young daughter of a postmaster who served at the facility.

"A lot of the buildings probably are not going to be saved, but we want something there to say Eloise was here," Johnson said. The group has applied for a historical marker from the state.

"If they can save any of the buildings, fine, but that's something that the county has to decide."

County spokeswoman Sharon Banks said the smokestack could be shortened to the level of the surrounding buildings, or may be demolished.

"We have, for public safety, put a barricade around the smokestack. We don't want to have people in the area injured," Banks said, adding that no injuries have been reported from the crumbling brick. "The entire (property) is being explored in terms of options for the use of the land and buildings," Banks added.

Eloise dates to the pre-Civil War era. It was established in 1839 as a poorhouse.

Vestiges of the past, including brown leather restraints once used to tie down the mentally ill, are on display at a museum in the Kay Beard Building at 30712 Michigan Ave. from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.

You can reach Karen Bouffard at (734) 462-2206 or kbouffard@detnews.com.