Our Mission
Restoring an historic neighborhood church for the creation, performance, display, and teaching of the arts.
Meet Our Board
I’m passionate about both community and the arts. This project, along with Carol Moore’s involvement, has inspired me to want to learn more about historic preservation.
Maureen Kirkwood, Chair
This building is near and dear to my heart, a part of my life for years. I desire to see it succeed on its next journey!
Susan Hallifax
I am a firm believer that a city should keep historic structures as a way of affirming a link to our past. When a structure such as this church gets repurposed as a community arts center, the whole community benefits.
Ed Clifford
Connecting with Hermitage at Diamond is a community endeavor to support all Congress School children. Planning and preparing for future fine arts opportunities is an exciting undertaking. Fostering and nourishing relationships while building upon the great things happening at Congress School will continue to be my focus. I look forward to establishing a sustainable and supportive community partnership.
Jennifer Williams
When you walk into this historic structure, you instantly feel the love and care that went into designing and building the space. Restoring this inspiring place into an arts venue will help bring our community members closer together and bridge cross-cultural divides.
Vince Lambert, Treasurer
Art and music have always nourished, healed, and energized our souls and our communities. Making accessible art spaces and resources available is a way to infuse our children and our neighborhoods with pure energy.
Lori Tennenhouse, Vice Chair
This project is about preserving the history of our civic and cultural buildings that represent the diversity and richness of our past. Hermitage at Diamond will continue to be a community asset because of the generosity and commitment of West Michigan residents.
David de Velder
Project Manager – Carol Moore
A resident of Fairmount Square, an historic district in the East Hills neighborhood, Project Manager Carol Moore joined several community partners to begin restoring the Hermitage at Diamond building in the fall of 2017. In the past several decades she has led a number of transformative restoration and preservation efforts, including:
- saving and rehabilitating the Wealthy Theatre
- saving and restoring several historic structures and houses on Wealthy Street and in Fairmount Square
- helping form the Wealthy Theatre Historic District and Fairmount Square Historic District
- helping develop the Traditional Business District zoning code
- initiating the Trees Please effort
“The building tells you what to do, and it’s just kind of fun to take its lead.”
-Carol Moore, Grand Rapids Magazine, Feb. 12, 2020
hermitage-at-diamond.org 