Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District

Last updated
Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District
Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District Pontiac MI A.JPG
LocationRoughly bounded by Montcalm St., Perry St., Joslyn Ave., Gage St., Glenwood, and Nelson St., Pontiac, Michigan
Coordinates 42°39′13″N83°16′44″W / 42.65361°N 83.27889°W / 42.65361; -83.27889 (Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District)
Area57 acres (23 ha)
Built1919 (1919)
Architectural style Colonial Revival, Bungalow/craftsman
NRHP reference No. 89000490 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 9, 1989

The Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District is a residential historic district located in Pontiac, Michigan and roughly bounded by Montcalm Street, Perry Street, Joslyn Avenue, Gage Street, Glenwood Street, and Nelson Street. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. [1]

Contents

History

At the close of World War I, demand for automobiles exploded, and in 1919 General Motors found that it could not keep up with the demand. This was in part due to a critical housing shortage near its plant in Pontiac: although the company could find workers, the workers could not find any housing. In response, GM established the Modern Housing Corporation. The company first began developing 750 houses on a 660-acre parcel just southwest of the current district, and in October 1919 continued by platting the Modern Housing Corporation Addition. [2] The neighborhood was developed under the leadership of Pierre S. du Pont, then Chairman of GM's Board of Directors. Du Pont commissioned William Pitkin of Boston to lay out the streets of the neighborhood, and Davis, McGrath & Kiessling of New York to design the homes. [3] Construction began immediately. General Motors promoted the housing to its employees, offering financial incentives and reduced down payments. By 1923, over 80% of the lots in the addition had homes built on them, [2] and by 1926 the construction was substantially complete. [3]

Although the neighborhood declined as Pontiac's fortunes sank, it has recently seen an upturn. [3]

Description

Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District Pontiac MI B.JPG

The Modern Housing Corporation Addition contains 261 modest homes, along with three public spaces, in a 61-acre tract. All but 12 of the houses are built from one of 16 architectural patterns. The lots are generally 50 feet by 100 feet, with houses of one to two stories and two to four bedrooms, finished with clapboard, wood shingle, stucco and brick. Many of the two-story houses have different materials on each story. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Place</span> Government offices in Detroit, Michigan

Cadillac Place, formerly the General Motors Building, is a landmark high-rise office complex located at 3044 West Grand Boulevard in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. It was renamed for the French founder of Detroit, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. It is a National Historic Landmark in Michigan, listed in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automobile Alley (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)</span> United States historic place

The Automobile Alley neighborhood and Automobile Alley Historic District in Oklahoma City is an upscale Urban area, located roughly along North Broadway Avenue in Downtown Oklahoma City. The district contains numerous low and mid-rise heritage buildings once home to the city's automobile dealerships, that today hosts many of the city's top bars and restaurants, retail shops, and urban residences alongside modern construction consisting mostly of residential housing and hotels. Automobile Alley is listed in the National Historic Register of neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechanicsville, Knoxville</span> United States historic place

Mechanicsville is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located northwest of the city's downtown area. One of the city's oldest neighborhoods, Mechanicsville was established in the late 1860s for skilled laborers working in the many factories that sprang up along Knoxville's periphery. The neighborhood still contains a significant number of late-19th-century Victorian homes, and a notable concentration of early-20th-century shotgun houses. In 1980, several dozen properties in Mechanicsville were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Mechanicsville Historic District. The neighborhood was also designated as a local historic district in 1991, subject to historic zoning and design standards.

Located in Norwood, Ohio, the Norwood Assembly Plant built General Motors cars between the years of 1923 and 1987. When it first opened, the plant employed 600 workers and was capable of producing 200 cars per day. At its peak in the early 1970s it employed nearly 9,000. Norwood is a suburb of Cincinnati.

The Blackstone Boulevard Realty Plat Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Blackstone Blvd., Rochambeau Ave., Holly St. and Elmgrove Ave. in Providence, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District is a historic district located along Piquette Street in Detroit, Michigan, from Woodward Avenue on the west to Hastings Street on the east. The district extends approximately one block south of Piquette to Harper, and one block north to the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Line. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drake Park Neighborhood Historic District</span> Historic district in Oregon, United States

The Drake Park Neighborhood Historic District is located adjacent to Drake Park near the historic downtown area in Bend, Oregon, United States. Because of the unique and varied architecture in the Drake Park neighborhood and its close association with the early development of the city of Bend, the area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Electric Realty Plot</span> Residential area of Schenectady, New York, originally home to many GE scientists and executives

The General Electric Realty Plot, often referred to locally as the GE Realty Plot, GE Plots or just The Plot, is a residential neighborhood in Schenectady, New York, United States. It is an area of approximately 90 acres (36 ha) just east of Union College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Side Historic District (Saratoga Springs, New York)</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The West Side Historic District is a residential area of Saratoga Springs, New York, United States, located west of its downtown section. It is a 122-acre (49 ha) area extending from the blocks west of Broadway to extensions along Church and Washington streets. The former Franklin Square Historic District is included in its entirety.

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

The Annapolis Park Historic District is a historic district located along Julius, Matthew, Hanover, Farnum, Alan, and Paul Streets in Westland, Michigan, covering 71 acres (290,000 m2) and 354 buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindbergh Forest</span> Historic house in Tennessee, United States

Lindbergh Forest is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Chapman Highway (US-441) in South Knoxville, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an historic district. Initially developed in the late 1920s as one of Knoxville's first automobile suburbs, the neighborhood is now noted for its late-1920s and early-1930s residential architecture, and the use of East Tennessee marble detailing. The neighborhood also contains two of Knoxville's five surviving Lustron houses. In 1998, several of its houses were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Lindbergh Forest Historic District.

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

The Rosedale Gardens Historic District is a historic district located on eight streets, from Arden Street to Hubbard Street, between Plymouth Road and West Chicago Street in Livonia, Michigan. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arbor Hill Historic District–Ten Broeck Triangle</span> Historic area of Albany, New York

The Arbor Hill Historic District–Ten Broeck Triangle, originally the Ten Broeck Historic District, is a seven-block area located within the Arbor Hill neighborhood north of what is today downtown Albany, New York, United States. In 1979 its easternmost third, the Ten Broeck Triangle, the second oldest residential neighborhood in the city, was recognized as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Four years later, the district was increased to its current size and renamed to reflect its expansion to include some of the rest of Arbor Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lustron Houses of Jermain Street Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Lustron Houses of Jermain Street Historic District is located along that street in Albany, New York, United States. It consists of five prefabricated homes built by the Lustron Corporation after World War II. It was recognized as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South End–Groesbeckville Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The South End–Groesbeckville Historic District is located in part of the neighborhood of that name in Albany, New York, United States. It is a 26-block, 57-acre (23 ha) area south of the Mansion and Pastures neighborhoods with a mix of residential and commercial properties. In 1984 it was recognized as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakewood Heights, Atlanta</span> Neighborhoods of Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia, United States

Lakewood Heights is a primarily Black neighborhood in southeast Atlanta. It is bounded by:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Heights Development</span> United States historic place

The Atlantic Heights Development is a historic company-built worker subdivision in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Bounded by I-95, the Piscataqua River, and the tracks of the Boston and Maine Railroad, this small neighborhood was built in 1918–1920 to meet housing demand for workers at the Atlantic Company Shipyard, located just to the south, and served as a prototype for later residential subdivisions. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

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

The Norwayne Historic District, or Norwayne Subdivision, is an historic residential subdivision, originally built for World War II defense workers. It is located in Westland, Michigan and roughly bounded by Palmer Road on the north, Wildwood Road on the west, Merriman Road on the east, and Glenwood Road and the Wayne County Lower Rouge Parkway on the south. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaside Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

Historic Seaside Village Co-operative encompasses a primarily residential area in the South End of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is bounded on the east by Iranistan Avenue, the north by South Avenue, the south by Forest Court and by the west by Alsace Street. The property consists of a densely built collection of brick rowhouses, arranged in irregular combinations. The village was developed during World War I to alleviate a housing shortage caused by an influx of workers hired to work in the city's munitions factories. It is a good example of an early government-funded project of this type, and was a collaborative design effort by R. Clipston Sturgis, Skinner & Walker, and Arthur Shurtleff. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civic Park Historic District</span> United States historic place

The Civic Park Historic District is a primarily residential historic district roughly bounded by Welch and Brownell Boulevards Trumbull Avenue, Dupont Street, and Dartmouth Street, in Flint, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Robert E. Donohue Jr (June 1988), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District
  3. 1 2 3 David Sands (May 4, 2017). "Pontiac neighbors seek new beginning for General Motors historic district". Metromode. Retrieved April 17, 2018.