Gowan Block

Last updated

Gowan Block
GowanBlock-SaultSteMarieMI.jpg
USA Michigan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location416 Ashmun St., Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Coordinates 46°29′53″N84°20′51″W / 46.49806°N 84.34750°W / 46.49806; -84.34750
Arealess than one acre
Built1901
Built byLipsett & Sinclair
ArchitectEdward Demar (Charlton, Gilbert and Demar)
Architectural style Late Victorian
Part of Sault Ste. Marie Historic Commercial District (ID100005683)
NRHP reference No. 10000219 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 27, 2010

The Gowan Block, also known as the Masonic Block, was built as a commercial building and meeting hall located at 416 Ashmun Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Along with the next-door Adams Building, it is now part of the Park Place City Center, a mixed commercial and residential development. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. [1]

Contents

History

John A. Gowan and Albert F. Pickford [2] opened a hardware store, Gowan & Pickford, in 1900. [3] In 1901, Gowan and Pickford decided to construct a new building, and retained the local firm of Charlton, Gilbert & Demar to design the structure. They hired local contractors Lipsett & Sinclair to build the new structure for $31,700, and construction began in mid-1901, finishing around the end of the year. After construction, Gowan and Pickford occupied the south third of the ground floor, with the remainder housing one portion of the Prenzlauer Bros.' general store, which also occupied a nearby building. [4] The local Masonic Lodge began using upper floors in 1902. [5]

By 1908 the Prenzlauer Bros. store vacated the building, and around 1920 Woolworth's moved into that portion of the ground floor. Gowan & Pickford remained in the southern third, changing its name to Gowan Hardware in 1911 when Albert Pickford left the firm. Gowan Hardware closed in 1949, and Woolworth's expanded into the vacated space. [4]

In 2010, after a few years of financial wrangling, the Masonic Block and the next-door Adams Building were purchased by a developer. [6] Renovations began, with the plan to provide 4,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 24 apartments. [7] The project is known as "Park Place City Center."

Description

The Gowan Block is a Late Victorian three-story brick commercial building with a broad front facade. The front is substantially finished with yellow-buff brickwork, with reddish-brown sandstone used for piers at the outer edges and surrounding the third-story windows. The ground floor has three storefronts. The second floor has seven bays filled with windows and separated by metal pilasters. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chippewa County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Chippewa County is a county in the eastern Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,785. The county seat is Sault Ste. Marie. The county is named for the Ojibwe (Chippewa) people, and was set off and organized in 1826. Chippewa County comprises the Sault Ste. Marie, MI micropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland Park Masonic Temple</span> United States historic place

The Highland Park Masonic Temple, also known as The Mason Building or The Highlands, is a historic three-story brick building on Figueroa Street in the Highland Park district of northeast Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mausert Block</span> United States historic place

The Mausert Block is a historic commercial building at 19—25 Park Street in Adams, Massachusetts. Built in 1900-01, it is a prominent local example of Romanesque Revival architecture. It is one of the four brick buildings on Park Street along with the P. J. Barrett Block, Jones Block, and Armory Block, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">F. W. Woolworth Building (Wilmington, Delaware)</span> United States historic place

The F. W. Woolworth Company Building is a historic department store building located in downtown Wilmington, Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Building (Osceola, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Building, also called the Burrows Block, Bank Block, and Masonic Temple stands on the public square in Osceola, Iowa, United States. It was constructed by banker A.H. Burrows in 1872. The upper stories of this Italianate building were used by Osceola Lodge No. 77 of the Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, and the main floor was a bank and hardware store. This building has been placed on Preservation Iowa’s Most Endangered list because of its poor repair and lack of preservation plan. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. In 2018 it was included as a contributing property in the Osceola Commercial Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Federal Building (Sault Ste. Marie)</span> United States historic place

The United States Post Office at 209 East Portage Avenue in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is an historic building which has served various purposes since its construction in the early 20th century. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scoville Square</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Temple Building is a historic Prairie-style building in Oak Park, Illinois, at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street. It is in the Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District and was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syndicate Block (Des Moines, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Syndicate Block, also known as the McCoy Building, is a historic building located in the East Village of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. In 2019 the building was included as a contributing property in the East Des Moines Commercial Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wibaux Commercial Historic District</span> Historic district in Montana, United States

The Wibaux Commercial Historic District is a site on the National Register of Historic Places located in Wibaux, Montana. It was added to the Register on December 28, 1989. It then included 12 contributing buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adams Building (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

The Adams Building, also known as the Central Savings Bank Building, was built as a commercial and office building located at 418 Ashmun Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Along with the next-door Gowan Block, it is now part of the Park Place City Center, a mixed commercial and residential development. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lipsett Hardware Building</span> United States historic place

The Lipsett Hardware Building, currently the Pickford Area Historical Society Museum, is a commercial building located at 175 Main Street in Pickford, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodyear Block</span> United States historic place

The Goodyear Block, also known as the Arbeiter Block is a commercial building located at 138 E. Main Street in Manchester, Michigan, US. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alma Downtown Historic District (Alma, Michigan)</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Alma Downtown Historic District is a commercial historic district in Alma, Michigan, roughly located along Superior Street between the Pine River and Prospect Avenue, and along State Street between Center and Downie Streets. Parts of the district were designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1975, and the entirety was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. It contains 72 structures, primarily brick commercial buildings, ranging from one to three stories in height and dating from 1874 to the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Center Commercial Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The New Center Commercial Historic District is a commercial historic district located on Woodward Avenue between Baltimore Street and Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayo Building (Northfield, Vermont)</span> United States historic place

The Mayo Building is a historic commercial building at Main and East Streets in downtown Northfield, Vermont. Built in 1902, it is a prominent and imposing example of Classical Revival architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Jordan Lumber Company Store Building</span> United States historic place

The East Jordan Lumber Company Store Building is a commercial building located at 104 Main Street in East Jordan, Michigan. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It is next to, and shares a wall with, the Votruba Block; both buildings have been rehabilitated to form the Main Street Center office complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Votruba Block</span> United States historic place

The Votruba Block is a commercial building located at 112 Main Street in East Jordan, Michigan. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It is next to, and shares a wall with, the East Jordan Lumber Company Store Building; both buildings have been rehabilitated to form the Main Street Center office complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sault Ste. Marie Historic Commercial District</span> United States historic place

The Sault Ste. Marie Historic Commercial District is a primarily commercial historic district located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. The district includes the Old Federal Building, Chippewa County Courthouse, Central Methodist Episcopal Church, the Adams Building, and the Gowan Block, all of which are listed separately on the National Register.

The E.J. Bullock Block is a historic commercial building at 7012 Main Street in Readsboro, Vermont. Built in 1891, it is a prominent local example of Second Empire architecture, with a long history of commercial, social, and civic uses. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garfield School (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

The Garfield School, also known as the Garfield Commons, is a former school building located at 510 East Spruce Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. R.L. Polk & Co (1907), Michigan state gazetteer and business directory, R.L. Polk & Co, p. 1778
  3. Iron Age, vol. 65, Chilton Company, 1900, p. 45
  4. 1 2 3 R. O. Christensen (December 2009), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Gowan Block
  5. John. H. Brownell; Arthur Maurice Smith; Joseph E. Morcombe; Richard Pride; George T. Campbell (1902), The American tyler-keystone: devoted to freemasonry and its concerdant others, vol. 16, J. H. Brownell, p. 497
  6. Scott Brand (January 19, 2010). "Renovations on tap for old CSB building". Sault Ste. Marie Evening News. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013.
  7. Scott Brand (January 17, 2011). "Park Place City Center nearing completion". Sault Ste. Marie Evening News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.