After Finlandia University closed a big question for the community focused on what would happen with the college’s buildings. After coming out of receivership the Hirvonen Hall has been owned by the group Right Start UP.
About six months ago the Keweenaw Community Foundation moved into the location, now called the Hancock Community Hub, and has worked with Right Start UP to promote the site as a resource for the Copper Country.
So when we did our first walkthrough, our biggest challenge was there was so much stuff in there. Are we going to get all this out of here so people can see themselves in this space? It’s hard to do that when the space is designed for something and we’re trying to make this into something else. We put a lot of effort into trying to move all of Finlandia’s stuff out. We’re still in fact working on that, says Meena Muthu a member of the Right Start UP Board of Directors.
But also we’ve been walking through some of the larger spaces like the auditorium which needed some TLC. We’re still working on that. We recently did a fundraiser. We tried to assess what we needed to bring this back to life. You know, we have this vision of the community having a lot of events and shows in here.
Muthu adds that the group has also organized a fundraiser to support revitalization projects in the building’s gymnasium and auditorium to hold events in the future.
Keweenaw Community Foundation was among the first organizations to open their doors in the hub. KCF Executive Director Robin Meneguzzo says that the space offers the foundation more interaction throughout the year roaming the hallways as other organizations, businesses, and residents.
And so moving to this space, it’s been nice, having some of the organizations that are upstairs just in passing say, oh, we’re going to be having an event. Do you want to participate? We’re going to be having something, so we might hold something on the same day or at the same time to collaborate kind of and increase the visibility of those events. So I think the benefit of having the co-location is that you have some of these more organic opportunities that present themselves. – Robin Meneguzzo, Executive Director of Keweenaw Community Foundation
Meneguzzo and Muthu agree that the community’s support for the location has been incredible. Right Start UP hopes to begin sharing more with the community in the coming year of projects and plans.
Hirvonen Hall is registered with the state’s registry of historic buildings and was once the site of Hancock Central High School.
I went to middle school here in this building. My parents went to this school many years ago. So to see the building not be used for such a long time was hard because we knew that it had a lot of potential. It had this beautiful old auditorium. It had a gym that could be utilized. It had all sorts of space. And for that to be not available for use, even if it had been Finlandia using it, would have been great that it was being utilized, says Meneguzzo.
But for so long… it kind of sat and so I think it was hard to know that there is this potential opportunity that wasn’t accessible and that when it became potentially available through receivership to have someone new own it and open it back up, I was excited that it was going to be a group that was really thinking about the community and putting the community first.
Muthu says that soon after the non-profit announced its control of the location about 80 percent of rentalable space was filled. As well as the development of community meeting rooms where groups can meet.
Right Start UP has plans to organize more fundraising efforts, pursue grant programs, and work with the Copper Country’s residents in 2025.
And 25 is more our year looking into, you know, our year where we’re going to be able to do what we had in mind when we joined or bought the building. It’s more community events, seeing that the auditorium is used a lot. That goes the same for our community room and our gym. – Meena Muthu, Board member, Right Start UP
Learn more about the Hancock Community Hub online. Find information about Right Start UP at hchcommunityhub.com or on Facebook. Find more information here.
