A most unexpected monument

Estimated reading time: 1 minutes

Early on a cloudless November morning, curious onlookers gathered near the intersection of Division and Jefferson streets to witness a poignant moment in U-M history. Bundled against the cold, they watched skilled crews lift a shaggy student residence off its original foundation, haul it a few blocks through Ann Arbor, and plant it in a new location. One trio of observers who’d advocated to save the structure paid especially close attention: U-M retirees John Godfrey and Ken Fischer, and O’Neal Construction founder Joe O’Neal. The house had been home to World War II hero Raoul Wallenberg, BA ’35, credited with saving thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust. Learn about the logistics of the move at the University Record. (Photos by Dieu-Nalio Chery, Michigan Photography.)