Alma’s Wright House restoration project

LEXIE THAYER
STAFF WRITER

10/28/2024

The Wright House is a historic stone mansion that was built in 1888 in downtown Alma at 503 N. State St. For many years, it was left to rust and wear. But the house’s location on State Street gave it plenty of attention, and now the Gratiot County Historical and Genealogical Society (GCHGS) is now working on restoring it.

Ammi Wright, an industrialist and the original owner of the house was a wealthy businessman who attracted multiple businesses to Alma, including Alma College. However, after his death, the house was vacant for decades.

The house is so extravagant due to the fact that the original architectural structure was drawn up to be much larger than any other structure was drawn up to be much larger than any other structure in Alma at the time.

There used to also be beautiful woodwork that took two years to install in its entirety. The appearance of the gorgeous house was topped off with stained glass and a massive stone porch.

Many members of the community wished for the house to get the protection and restoration it deserved, voicing their concerns on social media.

“Driving by the house every day made me incredibly sad, knowing that such a beautiful house was under disrepair… but at the time there was nothing I could do about it,” said Noah Batchelder, a landscaper from the community.

Thus, the GCHGS responded. Understanding the massive undertaking this process would be, they called the community for help buying the house. Fortunately, Alma responded: locals donated over $50,000 to the purchase of the property which allowed the process to begin.

“I think that it’s profound that members of our community are working together to restore a vital piece of Alma’s history. It’s honestly quite moving,” said Ethan Bacon (‘26).

That was just the first step, though – now, the next major undertaking has been restoring the roof and sandstone blocks. But, with a Facebook group of over 3,260 members and large and small-scale donations from local companies and members of the community, the Wright House is being saved from decay.

For example, a local company named Advanced Glass is currently volunteering to replace the broken windows within the building. Without the donation, the windows could have easily cost thousands of dollars to replace.

Once restored, the GCHGS wishes to turn the building into a museum for the city of Alma. This would provide an inside view for Alma College students to learn about Alma’s origins.

“I think this a cool piece of history and could be an awesome museum or something for Alma if they fixed it up.” said Emma Millard (‘28).

“Seeing the community come together to restore our town’s history shows how much people care about the impacts of other people to make Alma a better place,” said Jeremiah Thompson (‘28).

“Museums are also a good way to just connect the surrounding environment to its local heritage, you know? So students can go there and learn about the background of Alma, and it’s a great way for the students to learn more about their community.” said Megan Black (‘28).

“Restoring the house would be so pretty. I also think it would be a really good volunteer opportunity for Alma students,” said Ashley White (‘28).

For those who wish to contribute to the Wright House, you can visit their website at wrighthousemuseum.com and donate there. Any contribution helps towards their goal. 

Additionally, the GCHGS also appears at Alma’s local farmer market on the weekends and occasionally meets at local Ballyhoo Brew to discuss the project. You can also contact the GCHGS with any questions or concerns at info@wrighthousemuseum.org.