The Meinzinger Bookcase

I need to get the specific early history on the front of this bookcase/cabinet from my Dad, Aunts and Grams but I know my Grandfather saved this one and another one (Aunt Mary has that one) from a building being destroyed in Detroit. I believe....please correct my errors...it was in the home the Meinzingers lived in, in South Rockwood, MI. I think I remember it holding National Geographic Magazines in the basement of the house we lived in, in Detroit??? Or maybe that was at Aunt Mary and Grams?? Not sure, but I was quite young at that point. Where my memory really comes in this bookcase hung in the Family Room of my child home in Allen Park, MI. My Dad put it up as a built-in bookcase when he redesigned the Family Room and it hung there all the years a Meinzinger lived in the Hanover home. Before Laura and Mike moved I asked if I could have the bookcase. Mike removed it from the wall and Dad and Mom brought it to my house....where it sat in the basement for a couple years. I used it to hold my scrapbooking materials during that time and it was actually QUITE functional for me, however, an unseen treasure. Last year we asked a friend (Bruce Smith @ Bruce Smith Carpentry) to price out a concept we had for fixing it up. He was busy, we didn't follow up=nothing happened. So this year we finally revisited the idea with me drawing a very rough sketch of my ideas and talking price and details. My initial thoughts were all stained oak to match. But Bruce suggested doing the base painted and pointed me to some websites like Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry. After looking at some furniture at Dixboro General Store as well and talking with a couple friends who are designers I decided to go with a mixed design of paint and stain and thought I would like a black base. My friend Danielle suggested a taupe color underneath that would show through in the distressed areas. So we "commissioned" the work and waited excitedly! Bruce brought over the base on Wednesday and that night Sandor and I went out to choose hardware for it. Thursday Bruce gave the bookcase its final face lift in the garage, adding crown molding and staining. It was all brought into the house that same afternoon and....well, the piece takes my breath away! It brings back so many memories of a childhood home full of love, fun and family! I hope my kids will look back someday and think that too!