KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A beloved piece of Kalamazoo history was damaged in a vandalism incident earlier this week when a rock was thrown through a stained glass window at the Ladies Library Association building.
The Ladies Library Association, Kalamazoo’s first cultural institution and one of the oldest women-built and women-operated organizations in the country, occupies a historic building constructed in the 1870s. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been cared for by generations of volunteers and members.
The vandalism shattered one of the building’s stained glass windows, piercing it at a height several feet above the ground. The damaged window, installed in 2003, is one of two contemporary pieces of stained glass in the building. It was created by local artist Jamie Rife and gifted to the association by longtime member Fern and Herbert Rodewald…