Wayne State’s McGregor Pond and Sculpture Garden renovation project received the 2014 Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation. 

There were 12 award recipients recognized this year at a public ceremony on May 7 in the Michigan State Capitol Rotunda.  

The state’s Historic Preservation Office initiated the award program in 2003 to recognize preservation achievements reflecting a commitment to the preservation of Michigan’s unique character and the many cultural resources that document its past. 

The Minoru Yamasaki-designed McGregor reflecting pools, dormant since the late 1990s, reopened last spring following an extensive restoration project. Repairs were made to the concrete foundation, plumbing and mechanics, and a new lighting scheme was installed to enhance the nighttime aesthetic.  

 

Constructed in 1958, the McGregor Memorial Conference Center was the first component of Yamasaki’s creations at WSU. Between 1957 and 1964, Yamasaki contributed four buildings to the Wayne State campus: the McGregor Center, the College of Education Building, the Meyer L. and Anna Prentis Building, and the Helen DeRoy Auditorium.