Adams Building (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)

Last updated
Adams Building
AdamsBuilding-SaultSteMarieMI.jpg
USA Michigan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location418 Ashmun St., Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Coordinates 46°29′52″N84°20′52″W / 46.49778°N 84.34778°W / 46.49778; -84.34778 Coordinates: 46°29′52″N84°20′52″W / 46.49778°N 84.34778°W / 46.49778; -84.34778
Arealess than one acre
Built1903
Built byMarshall N. Hunt
ArchitectEdward Demar
Architectural style Late Victorian
Part of Sault Ste. Marie Historic Commercial District (ID100005683)
NRHP reference No. 10000218 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 27, 2010

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. [1]

Contents

Robert N. Adams

Robert Adams was born in Ontario on May 13, 1844, the sixth child of John and Ann Adams. [2] At the age of 23 he began working his own farm in Ontario. In 1877 he married Elizabeth N. Carr. [2] The couple had six children: George, Augusta, John, Gertrude, Clement, and Lillian. [2]

In 1879 Adams moved to Michigan and purchased 150 acres of land that was at the time undeveloped, but is now within the boundaries of Sault Ste. Marie. [2] Adams cleared the land and platted it, selling lots which eventually became some of the most substantial residential and commercial sections of the city. Adams also engaged in grocery, merchandising, and banking businesses, and represented the area in the state legislature. [2]

Building history

The Central Savings Bank of Sault Ste. Marie was incorporated in December 1902, [3] with Robert N. Adams as its first president. [2] Adams hired Edward Demar to design a building, and in 1903, built what was called "one of the most modern and architecturally attractive bank and office buildings in the Northern Peninsula." [2] He christened it the Adams Building. A portion of the first floor of the building was reserved for the Central Savings Bank, while the rest of the building was used by other businesses. [2]

In 1904, Central Savings Bank merged with Chippewa County Savings Bank; [3] although Adams remained on the board of directors, he was no longer president of the institution. [2] In 1926, the bank took over the assets of the Brimley State Bank. [3]

In 1975, the bank moved its offices to their present location at 511 Bingham Avenue in Sault Ste. Marie. [3] Other businesses moved into the ground floor spaces; however, the upper floors remained empty for years. [4]

In 2010, after a few years of financial wrangling, the Adams Building and the next-door Masonic Block were purchased by a developer. [5] Renovations began, with the plan to provide 4,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 24 apartments. [4] The project is known as "Park Place City Center."

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">Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Sault Ste. Marie is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette. It is the central city of the Sault Ste. Marie, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Chippewa County and had a population of 38,520 at the 2010 census.

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

The Soo Locks are a set of parallel locks, operated and maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, that enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They are located on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, between the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. They bypass the rapids of the river, where the water falls 21 ft (6.4 m). The locks pass an average of 10,000 ships per year, despite being closed during the winter from January through March, when ice shuts down shipping on the Great Lakes. The winter closure period is used to inspect and maintain the locks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum</span> United States historic place

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located at the Whitefish Point Light Station 11 miles (18 km) north of Paradise in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The light station property was transferred to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS), the Michigan Audubon Society (MAS), and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1996. The three entities share governance of the site. The museum is operated by the GLSHS. The museum exhibits artifacts from shipwrecks from the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve and the bell from the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Admission to the museum includes a tour of historic buildings with displays that interpret the Great Lakes maritime, United States Coast Guard, and US Life-Saving Service history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge</span> Bridge connecting Canada and the United States

The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The bridge is operated by the International Bridge Administration under the direction of the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority, a bi-national governing body consisting of four directors appointed by the Governor of Michigan and four appointed by the Canadian government-owned Federal Bridge Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Superior State University</span> Public university in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Lake Superior State University is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It enrolls approximately 2,000 students. Due to its proximity to the Canadian border, LSSU has many Canadian students and offers joint programs with Sault College and Algoma University in the twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada across the St. Marys River. In a sign of this close relationship with its international neighbor, LSSU flies both the Canadian and United States flags on its campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians</span> Reservation

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, commonly shortened to Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians or the more colloquial Soo Tribe, is a federally recognized Native American tribe in what is now known as Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The tribal headquarters is located within Sault Ste. Marie, the major city in the region, which is located on the St. Marys River.

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

The West Canfield Historic District is a neighborhood historic district located primarily on Canfield Avenue between Second and Third Streets in Detroit, Michigan. A boundary increase enlarged the district to include buildings on Third Avenue between Canfield and Calumet. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971; a boundary increase was added in 1997. The revitalized 1870s era neighborhood is one of the residential areas surrounding the city's Cultural Center Historic District in Midtown. Nearby, East Canfield Avenue leads to the Detroit Medical Center complex, the Romanesque Revival styled St. Josaphat's Catholic Church, and the Gothic revival styled Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lakes Circle Tour</span> Scenic drive

The Great Lakes Circle Tour is a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. It consists of routes for circumnavigating the lakes, either individually or collectively. It was designated by the Great Lakes Commission in 1988.

David Ellis is a Canadian architect ,based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He is perhaps best known for his winning entry for the World Bank's Malaysian Health Development Project Design Competition along with his countless architectural designs built in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. "Design is not a product, but a process", David Ellis stated this phrase to explain his view of architectural philosophy through his commitment to architecture, planning and interior design. This philosophy led into his design specialty for buildings that have complex academic innovation as well as attention to the human condition. His vision included revitalizing Northern communities and bringing technology and detail to the human condition. Many of David Ellis' design choices come from a relationship between building and environment, "Everyone needs to have a relationship with their environment".

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

The Detroit Financial District is a United States historic district in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 2009, and was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of December 24, 2009.

<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">Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario</span> City in Ontario, Canada

Sault Ste. Marie is a city in Ontario, Canada. The third-largest city in Northern Ontario after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, it is located on the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. To the southwest, across the river, is the United States and the Michigan city of the same name. The two cities are joined by the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, which connects Interstate 75 on the Michigan side and Huron Street on the Ontario side. Shipping traffic in the Great Lakes system bypasses the Saint Mary's Rapids via the American Soo Locks, the world's busiest canal in terms of tonnage that passes through it, while smaller recreational and tour boats use the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Methodist Episcopal Church (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)</span> Historic church in Michigan, United States

Central Methodist Episcopal Church is a United States historic church at 111 E. Spruce Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gowan Block</span> Historic commercial building in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chippewa County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Chippewa County Courthouse is a government building located on Court Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is one of the oldest courthouses still in use in Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmwood (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)</span> Historic house in Michigan, United States

Elmwood, also known as the Henry Rowe Schoolcraft House, the Schoolcraft House or the Indian Agency, is a frame house located at 435 East Water Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1956 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<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">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.

<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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Alvah Littlefield Sawyer (1911), A history of the northern peninsula of Michigan and its people: its mining, lumber and agricultural industries, vol. 3, The Lewis Publishing Company, pp. 1085–1087, 1268
  3. 1 2 3 4 "About CSB". Central Savings Bank. Archived from the original on January 1, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Scott Brand (Jan 17, 2011). "Park Place City Center nearing completion". Sault Ste. Marie Evening News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.
  5. Scott Brand (Jan 19, 2010). "Renovations on tap for old CSB building". Sault Ste. Marie Evening News. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013.