KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The site of a crucial moment in Kalamazoo's Civil Rights Movement history will make way for a new senior center this fall.

In the 1960s, Van Avery Drug Store sat near the intersection of north Burdick Street and west North Street. The non-profit Ecumenical Senior Center has owned the former storefront since 1992. The building has sat empty for months since the group moved operations in anticipation of a new center.

The building's pale pink walls know a history that few remember as clearly as Lois James Fisher. She spoke with News 8 in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to share the significance of the store during the Civil Rights era. She said Van Avery Drug Store was a popular spot in the predominantly Black Northside community. It was a hit among

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