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Fruitport Landmark in need of divine intervention

A Fruitport Landmark in need of divine intervention.

FRUITPORT, Mich. — It’s funny how if you deviate from your daily routine, you might discover some treasures. 

That’s what happened to me recently near my home on the Lakeshore. I zigged when I usually zag and discovered a weather-beaten church about two miles from my home. 

I said to myself “There is a story there,” and boy was I right. 

After weeks of research, I discovered the church had been built in 1890. It served as a house of worship for many until the early 1960’s when the congregation outgrew it and built a larger home a mile away. 

In 1983 it became the home of 'Diane's Dance Studio.'

“I used to have the best dance recitals here,” Diane Braun-Cotie remembers. 

After a series of personal and professional challenges, she was forced to close the studio. 

It has been in disrepair for more than a decade. After some criticism by a few in the community for her reluctance to sell, she says the time has now come. 

“I retired after 30 years, I would like to get rid of it,” she tells me. 

It will need a lot of repairs to restore it to its former glory. 

Alex Vicker is a former student turned instructor at the Studio. 

“I hope somebody rescues this place, it’s an iconic piece of history,” she says. 

    

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