opinion

Don't give up the ship: Let's save the Boblo boat

On the list of significant cultural touchstones in metro Detroit, it would be tough to find one more universal than Boblo.

The island amusement park down the Detroit River thrilled kids and adults for decades, as anyone older than say, 35, can tell you.

• Related: We want your Boblo memories

And then there were the magnificent steamers, the SS Columbia and the SS Ste. Claire. The hour ride from downtown to the park on those graceful giants, rollicking with music and food and fun, meant Boblo wasn't just a common experience for kids growing up here. It was a shared experience, which made it rare and precious.

Black and white, rich and poor, city and suburban — everyone was on the boat together.

It's one of the few pieces of local history that literally transcends the barriers that keep us apart.

Last year, the Columbia was towed out of Michigan on its way to a new life, thanks to the efforts of a New York preservation group. The Ste. Claire has one man, a doctor who has worked to preserve it. But it needs more. If the Ste. Claire does not find a new home — akin to the effort that saved the Columbia — we'll lose it forever.

We've done a lousy job as a community keeping important pieces of our history in good preserve. We tear down, pave over, or let go more often than we save or cherish. Detroit's Old City Hall, the Hudson's Big Store, Tiger Stadium, Olympia, they're all gone.

Now, we face an important cultural decision: Do we rally to save the Ste. Claire, or do we throw it away as we have done with so many landmarks before?

This ought to be a rallying point for the state Department of Natural Resources, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, local history museums, and the business community that has fought so hard to bring downtown Detroit back from the brink. But the people who so loved these boats must also stand up and say that the Ste. Claire matters. Saving the Ste. Claire will not be easy. But it should and can be done.

It's just a boat. Sure, there are other causes that are more important to solve: poverty, education, adult illiteracy, creating jobs ... But this is a battle that we can decisively win — and we can win it together. We must not give up the ship.

Our challenge

The Ste. Claire was launched in 1910 and — along with its sister, the 1902-built Columbia — spent its life whisking Detroiters to Boblo Island, 18 miles southwest of Windsor. Citing declining attendance and increasing maintenance on the historic steamers, the amusement park took them out of operation in 1991. Boblo Island was shuttered two years later. The park was mostly disassembled and sold off piecemeal. Some of it remains, though most of the island has been turned into a private residential community.

Losing the Columbia was a bitter pill to swallow. On one hand, it's good to know that there are people out there who recognize the value and importance of preserving this piece of Detroit and American history. On the other, it was the realization that it took a group from New York State to save one of our region's most cherished relics from our own neglect.

The last two decades have not been kind to the Ste. Claire. Paint has peeled. Wood has rotted. Its pilothouse has been removed, and parts of the stern have been disassembled. In short, the boat doesn't look as good as you probably remember. But the bones are there.

Ron Kattoo, a Henry Ford Hospital ICU doctor, says he bought the Ste. Claire in 2007 for $250,000. In those eight years, he has done a significant amount of work to stave off deterioration and has replaced a decent amount of rotted wood, but he has a long way to go.

"People always say, 'You've had the ship for so long, why haven't you finished it yet?' " he said. "Well, I didn't require a ship that was a turnkey project. ... There's no blueprint for putting back together a 105-year-old steamship."

It is also worth noting that he was diagnosed with a brain tumor a few years ago, so that cost him time.

Though dedicated to the cause, the doctor has struggled to do this on his own. If our community wants to save this treasure, it must lend him a hand. Likewise, if Kattoo's primary goal is to save the Ste. Claire for all of metro Detroit, he cannot keep it to himself.

Kattoo has said he's willing to transfer ownership of the boat to the nonprofit he created for that purpose, the Bob-Lo Boat Ste. Claire Restoration Project. But he's reluctant to do so until there's a plan in place and money to fund that plan — and he is fearful of red tape.

Kattoo says architects have told him it would cost about $1 million to get the Ste. Claire up to snuff, or at least enough to be moored as a nonsailing attraction, available for private parties, weddings, proms, concerts and meetings. For it to ply the Detroit River again would take at least $10 million, likely more. That is probably too big an ask for a state still struggling to recover from the Great Recession. For now, the boat's sailing days are likely over.

Where to put it?

The Ste. Claire needs to be put someplace where we can all enjoy it.

The most logical spot is the former Detroit Dry Dock slip, located in what is now William G. Milliken State Park. Currently unused, the slip has a long history with Detroit's maritime history and could draw more families to the state park. The Ste. Claire also would be along the celebrated Detroit RiverWalk, a short distance from the heart of downtown. Think about the possibilities during events such as River Days, the fireworks and more.

Another logical choice? Make it another attraction on Belle Isle. Park it next to the soon-to-be-reborn Detroit Boat Club, or near the Detroit Yacht Club. Adding it to the maritime treasures at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum is a no-brainer, though that location would come with added costs. The boat would have to be "boxed in" to protect it from currents and ice, or removed from the water and housed in a building.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources runs both Milliken and Belle Isle — and they're interested, though they'd need more details before committing.

Scott Pratt, the DNR's field operations chief for southern Michigan, said the agency "certainly would be willing to sit down at the table and see what they come up with."

Though he notes that there would be concerns, such as upkeep costs, and there is talk of bringing water taxis or kayaks to the Milliken slip.

Count the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority as being on board, too.

"There's no reason we can't be engaged in finding a home and use for the Boblo boat," said John Loftus, the port's executive director. "This is part of our marine heritage, and if we can do this right, let's do it. ... Let's at least put it on the table."

Mark Wallace of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy declined to comment.

The challenges

At $1 million-$2 million, for perhaps once in recent Detroit history, money isn't the biggest obstacle to a preservation plan.

"We certainly are in support of doing whatever we can do to protect Detroit's history, and certainly the Boblo boats are a big part of that history," said Robert Bury, executive director and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society.

But "there has to be a way to make it a sustainable attraction and keep it viable going forward," he said. "And I would question whether simply charging an admission fee would be enough to keep it going."

Yet Bury thinks the money to save the boat is there: "I think you could find a million for that. You'd have to have a lead donor, but you can find someone to donate half and then raise the rest from smaller donors. ... But it would be important to transfer it out of private hands. No one is going to donate to a private owner. I mean, someone might send in a check for $25 or something, but to create a viable fund-raising effort, there has to be a nonprofit entity to support this thing."

William Worden, the retired director of Detroit's historic designation office, spent years trying to save the two Boblo boats and is arguably metro Detroit's most knowledgeable steamship enthusiast. But even he is skeptical.

"Insurance and dockage goes yearlong, and the boat would be a seasonal attraction," he said. "It's a 105-year-old, 200-foot-long front porch and there's no way to heat it, so it needs a lot of maintenance."

How much?

"I have no idea," Worden said. "There's nothing else left like her, so there's nothing to compare her to."

The time is now

Kattoo says he's raised more than $400,000, but he needs more. And he needs hands-on assistance, to supplement the stable of volunteers who have helped him clean and paint the boat. For a region strong in the skilled trades, volunteer carpenters, welders and painters should be in ample supply.

The past two decades of neglect have been hard on the vessel, though there's still something to save. And with new investment downtown and along the riverfront, there will likely never be a better opportunity in our lifetimes — and most certainly not in the Ste. Claire's.

"It may be the right time for this, given the interest in Detroit's rebirth and renewal," Bury said. "But the window is closing for saving something like this. ...

"The time for saving it is now."

How to get involved

If you're interested in donating money or volunteering time to help save the Boblo boat Ste. Claire, contact Ron Kattoo by going to at www.bobloboat.com.

We want your Boblo memories

What are your memories of the Boblo boats or the island amusement park? What would it mean to you to have the SS Ste. Claire restored or to be able to visit it? Where would you want it docked? Email your thoughts, as well as your photos of the Boblo boat and Boblo Island to letters@freepress.com. Put "Boblo" in the subject line, along with your name and city, and we might publish them in the Sunday Free Press.