Future City Cultural Trailhead Project
The City of Marquette is revitalizing the former chamber building and surrounding park space into a City Cultural Center and four-season trailhead for the Cultural Trail. These changes present an exciting opportunity to expand publicly accessible amenities and increase visibility for City services.
For over twenty years, the City and Peter White Public Library have partnered to house the Marquette Arts and Culture Center (MACC). The evolution of the City Office of Arts & Culture services and location will spark change in the lower level of PWPL. The current MACC space agreement extends through September 2025 and both organizations will collaborate as we grow. As our community evolves, the local creative venue needs and offerings shift as well. The City is committed to identifying and empowering creative venues in Marquette. Our Office door is always open, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. (217 N Front Street, Lower Level of PWPL)
This project involves many community partners including civic, private, and non-profit organizations. The hillside is City property that has countless contributors, past and present. In unifying users and creating an accessible and welcoming space, we aim to tell our whole story and honor our shared history while uniting the present stakeholders in pursuit of an empowered and exciting future for the Marquette community.
Placemaking Project
What is placemaking?
By investing in Arts & Culture, cities can enhance the overall quality of life, drive economic development, improve health and well-being, bolster environmental sustainability, and encourage stronger community engagement. Ultimately, these investments yield long-term benefits for cities and their residents.
Explore how art can be used to address and improve any social topic using Americans for the Arts Impact Tool to inspire and discover case studies.
Future City Cultural Trailhead
for the revitalization of the former chamber of commerce and surrounding park spaces at 501 S Front St into a downtown trailhead and cultural center.
This project has only just begun, and we want your help! Stay connected for community input opportunities and more information.
Project Partners
The City Cultural Trailhead Project is led by the City of Marquette Office of Arts & Culture.
The Office of Arts & Culture is one of three offices within the City Community Services Department and we are grateful for the support of all City departments, management, and commissioners. We also acknowledge past staff and commissioners who have prioritized and developed this site as an important public space and supported the important role of arts & culture in our community.
Thank you to Superior Watershed Partnership for assistance with the successful grant proposals.
Many organizations and individuals have connections to this hillside. The Marquette Beautification & Restoration Committee has donated countless hours of tending to the gardens and supported a restoration project of the Father Marquette Statue. The Marquette Lions Club adopted part of the greenspace as Lions Lakeside Park as a centennial project honoring the first registered Lions Club of Michigan meeting at Lakeside Park on October 14, 1919. This site also hosted the first City Band Concert, the first Art on the Rocks festival… this site offers a viewscape that makes you reflect on your place here, played a part in local coming of age moments, and has been a quiet, constant, heart of our community. We look forward to discovering and sharing the histories and hopes for this location. Join us in this journey of unifying this space for the past, present, and future members of the Marquette community. Contact us if you have a connection to this site!
We, the City Office of Arts & Culture, are incredibly grateful for a supportive community, civic partners, private partners, and partnering organizations in this project, other initiatives, and all of the work we do. We are truly humbled and honored to serve the Marquette community.
The City of Marquette Office of Arts & Culture is currently located in the lower level of Peter White Public Library. Thank you to the Peter White Public Library for over 20 years of partnership and we look forward to collaborating with our friends at PWPL to best serve the Marquette community.
217 N Front St., Marquette, MI 49855.
Marquette City Office of Arts and Culture
arts-culture@marquettemi.gov
(906)228-0472
