Category Archives: Iconic Buildings

Michigan’s Historic Brick Factory Ruins

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Iconic Buildings .

The factory ruins were constructed with brick, but it was a factory that made bricks. The lincoln Brick Factory made 40,000 bricks per day at its peak and many buildings around Michigan were constructed using the bricks it produced. The factory located near Grand Ledge closed in 1947 and in 1975 the property was acquired by Eaton county. The land is now a county park aptly named Lincoln Brick Park. The remnants of the old factory still stand in the park where you can wander around and explore the ruins.

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The Hidden Tibbits Opera House

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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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The High Place in Da U.P.

Posted on by Posted in Iconic Buildings, upper peninsula .

I was traveling through Ishpeming and I saw the red stone and brick building that is the town’s city hall. I had to stop and get a photo of it. Ishpeming is the Chippewa name for “High Place” and it was given that name in 1862 when the post office opened.

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The Lights at the Waterworks

Posted on by Posted in Iconic Buildings, Winter Wonderland .

Every holiday season the Waterworks building in Saginaw is decorated with lights. It is a magical display enjoyed by many people as they pass by the iconic building on Ezra-Rust Drive. Most people are unaware of the significance of the red white and blue lights decorating the pine tree on the corner.

In 1979, during the Iran Hostage Crisis at the Embassy in Tehran,  plant supervisor Wally Rogalski had the tree decorated as a patriot gesture in honor of the hostages. The tree has been decorated with the American colors ever since then. The hostage crisis occurred a long time ago, but I think it’s also a good reminder to remember all the men and women who serve in the military at home and abroad, and the sacrifices they make for us, especially during the holidays.

If you read my post yesterday you probably know I live in Saginaw. If you are near Saginaw I hope you will come out and see me. I will be at the Arthur Hill holiday bazaar on Saturday, December 7th from 9-3. I will also be at the Antique Warehouse on Tittibiwasse on Thursday night from 6-8 signing books at their open house.

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City Hall in Bay City

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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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Marine City Hall

Posted on by Posted in Iconic Buildings .

I saw this magnificent looking brick building. It’s hard to miss with its arched windows and tower. After taking a pic of it, I noticed the historical marker proudly mounted on the wall.

Built in 1884 at a cost of $12,300, this edifice has served continuously as the seat of local government. Marine City was incorporated as the village of Marine in 1865. It became Marine City in 1867. The first village president was David Lester, a prominent shipbuilder. Shipbuilding was the principal industry for about half a century, employing several hundred men. During the era of wooden ships, this city was one of the largest ship building centers in the Great Lakes area, with an output of nearly 250 vessels by 1900. The discovery of salt on Catholic Point in 1882 proved to be another prosperous business with major salt companies springing up as a result of this important find.

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Presque Isle Lodge

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Lumberman Newell A. Eddy, Sr.and his wife Marianna purchased the land around where the Lodge sits for their personal recreational use. The land was purchased in several transactions from 1908 to 1913. With the Construction of US-23 tourists began visiting the area. The Eddy’s son, Newell A. Eddy Jr. who also vacationed at the property constructed a lodge in 1920. Eddy also built the knotty pine furniture within the Lodge, with the help of area craftsmen. After the opening of the Lodge, Eddy established the “Habitant Shops of Presque Isle Lodge,” which constructed similar furniture for guests. The shop first operated from the Presque Isle Lodge property, but by 1922 had moved to Bay City.

Newell A. Eddy Jr. died in 1940 and his family sold the Lodge in 1944. The lodge, placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It is an example of rustic architecture popular in Michigan in the first half of the twentieth century. During this time Michigans lumber industry became a leading manufacturer of rustic-styled, board-and-batten siding, and rough-hewn logs. The historic lodge still operates to this day.

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The Old Jail

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, Iconic Buildings .

Big Rapids became the county seat of Mecosta County in 1859 and incorporated as a city in 1869. This building served as the county jail and sheriff’s residence from 1893 until 1965.It’s the oldest public structure in the original plat of the village of Big Rapids, it features gable and hip roofs and turrets characteristic of Queen Anne style architecture. A tunnel ran underground from the old jail to the courthouse for inmates to be transferred for court appearances.

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Michigan’s Oldest and Possibly Haunted Inn

Posted on by Posted in Haunted Places, Iconic Buildings .

It was a long trip for people traveling by stagecoach between Chicago and Detroit. A popular stopping point was the National House Inn located in Marshall Michigan. The Inn was built in 1835 by Colonel Andrew Mann who used lumber from the Ketchum sawmill and bricks that were molded and fired on the site. The building was a popular rest stop for weary travelers and when the railroad came through town many passengers disembarked to dine at the inn.

When the railroad began using dining and sleeping the old inn no longer had the guests it once had. By 1878, it was converted into a factory for windmill and wagon parts. In the early 1900s, it was converted into apartments. During the 1970s the historic inn was renovated and restored back to its original use.

Like many old buildings with a long history, some say it is haunted. I am sure over the years there have been a few tragic events that occurred inside its brick walls. One can only imagine what has taken place since it was constructed almost two centuries ago. It’s believed to be a stop for escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad. I am not sure about it being haunted, but it is a fascinating old building in one of Michigan’s most historic towns. Today it is a quaint little Inn for guests to step back into time and relax.

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The New Two Story Outhouse

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, Iconic Buildings .

If you have followed my website or read my book you probably know about the two-story outhouse in Cedar Lake. I was traveling near it recently so I decided to drive by and see how the old privy was doing. I was shocked as I came upon the location to see a new two-story outhouse standing tall and proud on the lot where the original one once stood. If you look to the left of the outhouse you can see a small structure behind a tree and that is all that remains of the original historic two-story outhouse. Last time I was there the house that stood in front of the old privy was destroyed by fire and was a burned pile of rubble. I learned from the Vestaburg Historical Society facebook page that someone recently purchased the lot and built the new outhouse in honor of its historic past.

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