The Story of 611 E William Street
by Brady Nichols
The story of the building that now serves as the home of the Michigan Christian Study Center begins in 1872, when members of the University of Michigan chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity began an effort to finance and build a meeting house near the university campus. The group commissioned William LeBaron Jenney, a renowned architect and University of Michigan professor, to design the building. Jenney, who taught the University’s first architecture classes, modeled the building after Chicago’s Grace Episcopal Church, which he had designed previously. Jenney later became known as one of the fathers of the modern skyscraper for his incorporation of steel into the structures.
From left to right, William LeBaron Jenny, architectural drawings of 611 E William Street, Grace Episcopal Church in Chicago
Fraternity Days
The building was completed in 1879, and the organization added the signature front brick wall in 1901. Known as “The Shant” (during fraternity days, its official name was the “Hall of Omicron,” and the origins of its colloquial name are unknown), the building served as a secret meeting place, a venue for initiation rites, and a space for fraternity celebrations for nearly a century. President Gerald R. Ford was one of many participants in such events during his time at the University, as evidenced by two bricks on the front walk that read “G.R. Ford.”
Building before the wall’s installation
Fires and Renovations
On December 6, 1948, plumes of smoke began emanating from the upper floor of the Shant a little after 11 o’clock in the morning. The Ann Arbor Fire Department responded to the blaze shortly after. Firefighters were joined by a crowd of around 500 observers who watched the courageous men drill multiple holes in the ceiling to feed their hoses directly into the top floor. After more than an hour’s work with high-pressure fog apparatus, the blaze, which appeared to be centered on the second floor and attic of the building, was brought under control.
The building began to deteriorate in the 1960s, which led alumni to carry out a renovation in 1971, which included turning the President’s office into restrooms and eliminating the trap door and elevator previously used for hazing.
June 1972 Ann Arbor News feature on the Shant
Redeemer Ann Arbor
In September 2018, after a number of renovations, Redeemer Ann Arbor church held its first service at the Shant. It would meet there until March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person worship and Redeemer moved to online services. The church transitioned back to in-person services in Fall 2020 and used the Shant with livestreams in an overflow space and rented space in a restaurant next door. In September 2021, Redeemer began holding services in university facilities and using their building as a host space for after-service lunches. In Fall 2022, the Michigan Christian Study Center began to operate out of the building with support from Redeemer, which would own the building until Fall 2024,
Photos before the restoration by Redeemer Church
Present
Since being purchased by the Michigan Christian Study Center, the Shant has seen lots of new faces pass through its doors. Students and community members have attended weekly Friday lunch talks and monthly evening discussions on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to diversity in higher education to global health missions. During open hours, students, faculty members, and ministry leaders use the space to meet, study, work, and learn. In the evenings, campus ministry organizations and other Christian groups often use the space to hold prayer meetings or social events.
