OGEMAW COUNTY — The Ogemaw County Genealogical and Historical Society is currently working on plans to construct a new, larger museum. Once completed, the new structure may look familiar to longtime county residents.

According to Executive Director Gay McInerney, the exterior of the building will be constructed to replicate the old Graceland Ballroom.

Graceland was originally built in Lupton around the 1930s, and was destroyed in a fire in 1981. The building was reportedly used as a hideout by the Purple Gang of Detroit.

McInerney said the decision to model the structure after Graceland was made for a couple of reasons.

“It has a wonderful and colorful history,” McInerney said. “It’s also a building that doesn’t exist anymore. It was also constructed to be a neat architectural example with an up north kind of feel.”

McInerney said the historical society has been working on the plans for the building for about a year and a half. She said that it will probably take around three to four years to raise the funds for the building and to have it completed.

There are currently two options for the structure, one with a basement and one without. Both options call for a two-story structure.

With a basement, McInerney said the estimated cost is approximately $1.5 million, and would call for 15,865 square feet of space.

Without a basement, the estimated cost falls to $1.366 million, and the building would have approximately 8,969 square feet.

McInerney said the current location, on 5th Street, has about 2,000 square feet.

“But every single inch of space is stacked right to the ceiling,” McInerney said. “It’s what you call wall-to-wall living.”

McInerney said a new location would be very important to the society.

“We have long, long, long outgrown the facility we are in,” she said. “That became apparent the minute I walked in the door.”

In addition, she said there are many physical things in the current building that are not conducive to a museum — it is not universally accessible, and it is not climate controlled. McInerney added that the workspace being used for archiving is right in the middle of the exhibit space, so when tours come through, everything must be packed up and put away.

“It’s also not conducive to motor coach tours,” McInerney said.

She said the new location would have enough space to allow 2-4 classrooms to tour the facility.

“Teachers like to bring more than one group of kids,” McInerney said. “They like to fill the bus. We’re not in the position to handle an entire busload of students (in the current location).”

McInerney said a number of fundraising events will be held to raise money for the structure, and she will also be submitting several grant proposals to try to secure money for the facility.

“We’re just beginning that process,” she said.

She added that no location has been chosen as of yet, but that a location may help the society choose between having a basement or not having one.

“As you know, where you build in Ogemaw County can impact whether or not you can have a basement,” McInerney said.

She added that when the location of the facility is chosen, it will be in a higher-traffic area.

“It won’t be too far away from West Branch,” she said. “But it won’t be in the absolute northeast corner of the county either.”

Once the Ogemaw County Genealogical and Historical Society moves into the new building, McInerney said the old location will be sold.

“The Historical Society owns that building,” she said. She said the money from the sale would likely go toward funding the new building, but that decision would have to be made by the board.

For more information about the plans for the new building, contact McInerney at 989-873-5673.