East Chicago Street Historic District

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East Chicago Street Historic District
Edwin R. Clarke Library.jpg
Coldwater Public Library
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LocationChicago St. from Wright St. to Division St. including parks, Coldwater, Michigan
Coordinates 41°56′21″N84°59′40″W / 41.93917°N 84.99444°W / 41.93917; -84.99444 Coordinates: 41°56′21″N84°59′40″W / 41.93917°N 84.99444°W / 41.93917; -84.99444
Area75 acres (30 ha)
Architectural style Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Greek Revival, Late Victorian, Stick/eastlake, Queen Anne, Italianate
NRHP reference No. 75000937 [1]  (original)
90001129  (increase 1)
90001130  (increase 2)
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 12, 1975
Boundary increasesAugust 6, 1990
August 6, 1990

The East Chicago Street Historic District is a mixed residential and commercial historic district located in Coldwater, Michigan. The original portion of the district, running along Chicago Street from Wright Street to Division Street, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Two boundary increases were added in 1990, one running roughly along Pearl Street between Hudson and Lincoln Streets, and the other roughly along Church Street from Jefferson to Daugherty Streets, along with the block of Park Place north of Church and the block of Hull Street west of Park Place. [1]

Contents

History

Coldwater grew up around the Chicago Road, which was established in 1825. By the 1830s, thousands of families were using the road to move west. Coldwater was established as a village in 1837, as the county seat in 1842, and as a city in 1861. [2] The Michigan Southern Railway built a line through the southern portion of the city in 1850, spurring development on the south side of the Chicago Road. The lots in the southern portion of the district, along Pearl Street, were substantially filled by 1870. [3]

By 1870, development had spread east along the Chicago Road to Morse Street. Coldwater as a whole, and the East Chicago Street Historic District, grew rapidly though the remainder of the 19th century. The area east of Morse Street was completely unplatted in 1872, but had been entirely platted by 1902. [4]

One of the most significant buildings in the district is the Coldwater Public Library at 12 E. Chicago. In 1869, the Ladies Library Association was formed to start a local library. By 1870, the Association had collected 1200 volumes, and started a library in the house of Dr. John Beech (across the street at 11 E. Chicago). By 1880, the library was flourishing and the Coldwater City Council adopted a resolution providing for the establishment of a city library. A site was procured, but it wasn't until 1885 that a successful businessman, Edwin R. Clarke (whose house is located at 299 E. Chicago Street), donated funds to construct a building. The library opened in 1886. The first President of the Library Board Henry C. Lewis, who live at 53 E. Chicago. Lewis was an art collector, and constructed a gallery near his house at 45. E Chicago, which is now a portion of the Masonic Temple. [2]

Description

The East Chicago Street Historic District contains 72 structures within the original district along East Chicago. These structures include 42 residences and 19 businesses, along with a church, a library, a funeral home, a fraternal lodge, six medical buildings, and a hospital. [2] The additional section added in 1990 contain 53 contributing houses and seven outbuildings on the north side addition, [4] and a further 29 contributing houses in the south addition. [3] Architectural styles in the district range from 1840s Greek Revivals to a 1931 English Tudor, and include Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival houses, as well as a few bungalows and vernacular nineteenth-century houses. [4]

Significant structures in the district include:

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mrs. Eugene Wallace (September 1974), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM: East Chicago Street Historic District (note: large pdf file)
  3. 1 2 3 Robert O. Christensen (October 1989), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM: East Chicago Street Historic District - South Amendment (note: large pdf file)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Robert O. Christensen (October 1989), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM: East Chicago Street Historic District - North Amendment (note: large pdf file)