09/11/2025
𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗠: 𝗔 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞
The Tiger Room is in the process of a rebirth as the St. Philip Alpha Center.
Located in the heart of downtown Battle Creek at 30 W. Van Buren St., the five-story brick structure has been owned by St. Philip Roman Catholic Church since 1960. After decades of decline, it is once again stirring with life and purpose.
“This is a parish building owned by the diocese,” said project manager Connie Duncan. “It’s for the community that the church serves, especially the most vulnerable populations. For me, (my role) is helping with the mission of the church in a way that would help sustain a building that was failing.”
From its early days under parish ownership, the Tiger Room was a bustling hub of youth and community activities.
Middle and high school students gathered there for sock hops, jukebox dances, and ping pong or billiards tournaments. The basement doubled as a prayer room and meeting space, while high school baseball players practiced in the “Tiger Cage” located on the third level. The property has also hosted a boxing gym, thrift store, and fundraising activities such car washes and rummage sales.
In 1965, the Tiger Room held a citywide “Jack-a-rue” dance featuring a performance by Jackey Beavers. Admission was just 75 cents.
“This was used for storage," Duncan said. "It was never heated, but it had sprinklers. It had a big elevator through the whole building. While I taught at St. Philip in the 1980s, the main floor on the second level was used for dances. The upper levels were never modified at all.”
𝗔 𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗖𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗬
Long before St. Philip’s purchase, the structure was part of Battle Creek’s industrial boom.
Built in 1902, it was once the pattern house for American-Marsh Pumps, a company with roots dating back to 1854. Renowned for its sturdy, fireproof construction, the building produced pump patterns for systems installed across the world — including at the Panama Canal.
Remnants of the building’s past life as the pattern house of the American Steam Pump Co. remain with railroad tracks leading to its lower level.
In 1960, as parts of the surrounding complex were torn down, St. Philip acquired the 75,000-square-foot structure. That purchase set the stage for its decades of use as the Tiger Room — and now, its next chapter as the Alpha Center.
𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗣𝗛𝗔 𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥
The current redevelopment plan is focused on structural renewal and creating flexible space for community service. The roof has been replaced, window sills repaired and a new sprinkler system is being installed. “The goal is, as the funding comes in, we’ll do a level at a time and move up,” Duncan said.
The lower level will soon be ready for programming, including an incubator kitchen for nutrition initiatives in partnership with the South Michigan Food Bank. Electrical and water hookups are being added outside to accommodate food trucks. “Right now, the funding we have is enough to complete all the structural changes in the building, and so the lower level can be used for the mission of the church for the north side,” Duncan explained.
Demolishing the structure was estimated to have cost $500,000. Instead, parish leaders committed to saving the building. “You either tear it down or you fix it and sustain it,” Duncan said. “Once the building is cleaned up… then people can start seeing the potential.”
As progress continues, the basement will be open for programming by early next year, with the elevator in place by summer 2026, “a pivotal moment for the resurrection of the building,” Duncan said.
“This is a $2 million project to do the basement and structure of the building. It will need community support to realize its full potential, but in any case, we’re going to have it ready to go.”
