A Systematic Investigation of Historical Churches in Michigan, USA

Abstract

Michigan is very rich with an abundance of historical churches listed in the National Register of Historic Places including the second oldest Catholic parish in the nation. These historical churches reflect the city’s multicultural nature with their alluring architecture and offer a crucial socio-cultural involvement in extreme events as broadly observed during the pandemic period. On the other hand, Michigan is also prone to disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires. The last flood in May 2020 resulted in dam failures and caused severe damage in Midland, Michigan. Therefore, preservation planning is urgently needed to be prepared for such extreme events including climate-related flooding. The research work investigates the historical churches in Michigan and their structural resistance to a possible natural disaster. In the research, a rapid visual inspection approach and FEMA methodology were used in combination to ensure the safety of historical churches for disaster preparedness. A structural investigation procedure was carried out for eighteen historical churches in Michigan to understand the current structural status of the historical churches. The churches were selected based on their historical characteristics. Selected churches are also the famous ones in Michigan. As a result of the carried investigation process, structural capacities, structural responses, damage risks, and hazard risks of the historical churches were defined. Structural capacities were defined with the target to increase resilience for the recovery, rebuild, and preparation for possible future disasters.