Southfield wins two Keep Michigan Beautiful Awards


October 19, 2018  | Posted In:  Southfield News

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The city of Southfield recently won two Keep Michigan Beautiful Awards sponsored by Keep Michigan Beautiful, Inc. Southfield’s Burgh Historical Park won top honors with a President’s Award, while the Southfield Public Arts Commission earned a Michigan Award for their success in bringing public art to the city of Southfield.

The awards were announced at the annual Keep Michigan Beautiful Conference and Awards Program on October 12 in Frankenmuth, MI. The Burgh Historical Park won the highest honors, The President’s Plaque, for the beautification of the historic Southfield site. The Southfield Public Arts Commission received a Michigan Award recognizing its efforts to install public art throughout the city of Southfield.

The Burgh Historical Park, located on the northeast corner of Civic Center Drive and Berg Road, is the original home to Southfield’s first town hall, fire department and public works garage and has since been expanded to include a historic Methodist Church as well as two historic homes. One of Southfield’s hidden gems, the Burgh Historical Park hosts many city events in its beautifully maintained gardens and gazebo and is also rented for private events.

The Southfield Public Arts Commission was established in 2015 to advise the City Council on matters affecting public art in the city. The Commission has specifically worked to display pieces from the former Northland Mall’s public art collection, which was purchased after the mall’s closure through a grassroots fundraising campaign spearheaded by Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver. To date, nine large pieces of public art have been installed and the Commission regularly secures new donations to restore and display the collection in addition to newly-acquired pieces.

Keep Michigan Beautiful, Inc. is a non-profit, educational organization focused on promoting beautification and restoration projects throughout the state of Michigan. The Annual Keep Michigan Beautiful Awards are hosted by the organization to recognize programs and activities that contribute to environmental improvement, cleanup, beautification, site restoration and historical preservation.

For more information, call the Planning Department at 1-248-796-4150.