Resident taking initiative to revitalize city
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SAGINAW, Michigan (WNEM) — In the same way a sculptor looks at a block of marble and sees a statue, Alex Mixter looks at an old, beat-up house and sees a restored community space.
“It really does come down to a matter of what your perspective is, in my opinion,” Mixter said.
He’s putting his perspective on the Charles Lee Mansion. Built by lumber baron Charles Lee in 1888, it’s housed a doctor’s office, a pet leopard, and much more.
“They had all kinds of different stuff going on here,” Mixter said. “There were book club meetings, and there was all kinds of things that happened in this house in particular, so it just comes down to imagination at a certain point.”
Mixter used his imagination to help save the house from demolition in 2016. Where others see junk, Mixter sees potential. The basement, which used to be a doctor’s office, will become a creator’s studio, with a screen printing set up.
“I think there’s a lot to be said about looking at something in its current condition and saying ‘oh, well there’s no way anything can happen with that,'” Mixter said. “And I noticed that that’s the attitude toward this entire city in general.”
Mixter plans on changing that and expanding his operation.
“That’s the point of this project is, ‘what can we do with this house?’ And then, how does that translate to other projects in the area,” Mixter said.
He’s founding a nonprofit dedicated to this restoration work, and he’s got three other downtown Saginaw properties on the to-do list.
“Growing up in the part of Saginaw that gets excited about the new Panda Express, or whatever it might be, the new chain coming through, I get a lot more excited about the stuff that is so uniquely Saginaw,” Mixter said.
While there’s still floors to finish and doors to sand, by the time Mixter’s restored the mansion, he hopes to be on a path to revitalize Saginaw.
“We have seen, through this project, that there are the, there are properties in this town that are worthless and priceless at the same time. And this is one of them,” he said.
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