North of downtown Flint near the Flint River is this two-story brick building. It is not ornately decorated with victorian ara trim, nor is it extremely large but it is an important starting point for one of America’s largest companies. It was constructed in 1895 to be used as an office and showroom for the Durant-Dort Carriage Company.  In 1915 the company became the Dort Motor Car Company manufacturing four different models of cars until production ended in 1924. It was Dort’s partner William Durant that went on to consolidate several automobile manufacturers into General Motors.

Over time the building went through a few different ownerships and configurations. It even had a third story floor and flat roof added to it. In the 80s, the Genesee County Historical Society restored the building to its original construction. In 2013 GM purchased the building and designated it a General Motors heritage site.

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This pale yellow building in the historic village of Glen Haven is (or was) the Sleeping Bear Inn. It was constructed in 1857 and used as a boarding house for local dock workers and Lumberjacks. The town was a popular spot for passing steamers to get firewood to fuel the boilers. In the late 1800s, as tourism to the area increased, it changed over to become a resort hotel for people looking to take in the beauty of the dunes. By the 1970s the building and town had declined and closed. The inn along with the rest of the town is now part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

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This unique looking structure sits along the shores of Lake Huron. It has a strange look because it is made of concrete blocks. It is next to the Besser Natureal Area that is located between Alpena and Rogers City. Jesse Besser created a machine that made blocks from concrete for use in the construction of homes and buildings. I was not able to find any information on the lodge but someone told me  The Besser Company built this building as a retreat. Jesse Besser donated the land next to the lodge in the 1960s to create the Besser Natural area. The building is still privately owned and still being used but you can see it from the hiking trail that runs along the shoreline.

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This blockhouse stands on a hill along a scenic drive through Muskegon State Park. It was built in 1962 replacing one built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. The original blockhouse built using timbers from an old sailing ship burned down in a fire set by local youths. As part of their punishment after being convicted of arson they were required to help in the construction of the new blockhouse. If you are ever taking a drive through Muskegon State Park be sure to stop and see the new old blockhouse.

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It is hard to believe that such a magnificent and beautiful building would be changed and covered up. The historic Tibbits Opera House is the second oldest theater in Michigan. It was built in Coldwater because the town is located halfway between Detroit and Chicago it was a popular resting point for many travelers. In the 1930s it was converted into a movie theater and the second empire architecture was covered up and hidden underneath with a modern-looking facade.

The Tibbits Opera House converted into a movie theater in the 1930s from Wikipedia

By the 1960s the building was just an ordinary-looking brick building with some arched windows. it is hard to believe the once beautiful and ornate building was stripped of its grandeur and left standing as a plain-looking brick box in downtown Coldwater.

The Opera House as it looked in the 1960s from Wikipedia

With the old opera house slated to be demolished for urban renewal, a band of Coldwater citizens formed the Tibbits Opera Foundation and Arts Council in 1963. Over the decades they slowly began restoring the old building starting with the interior first. At the turn of the millennium the exterior was renovated and by 2011 the facade was brought back to its second empire design and looks the way it did when it was first constructed.

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I love the clock tower on the Richardsonian Romanesque city hall building in Bay City. It was built in 1894 and the tower has been standing over Bay City ever since.

Reminder: This Saturday ( Nov 23rd ) I will be at Handy Middle School in Bay City for their annual bazaar. I will be selling books, calendars, and T-Shirts. I hope you will stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

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