Van Buren Street Historic District

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Van Buren Street Historic District
St. Thomas Episcopal Church-Battle Creek.jpg
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
LocationRoughly, Van Buren St. from Capital and Cherry Sts. to Calhoun St. and North Ave., Battle Creek, Michigan
Coordinates 42°19′22″N85°10′51″W / 42.32278°N 85.18083°W / 42.32278; -85.18083 (Van Buren Street Historic District) Coordinates: 42°19′22″N85°10′51″W / 42.32278°N 85.18083°W / 42.32278; -85.18083 (Van Buren Street Historic District)
Area25 acres (10 ha)
ArchitectMortimer L. Smith, et al
Architectural style Classical Revival, Art Deco, Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference # 96000367 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 4, 1996

The Van Buren Street Historic District is a cultural historic district located roughly along Van Buren Street from Capital and Cherry Streets to Calhoun Street and North Avenue in Battle Creek, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. [1]

Battle Creek, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which encompasses all of Calhoun County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 52,347, while the MSA's population was 136,146.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

Contents

History

In the late 19th century, this section of Battle Creek lay between the commercial center of the city and the most prestigious residential neighborhoods. As such, what is now the Van Buren Street Historic District became the location of some of the city's oldest cultural institutions. This began in 1847 and 1858, when the first high school and St. Thomas Episcopal church were constructed in the district, on sites that now house current buildings for the same organizations. The 1870s brought the construction of successor buildings for both the high school and Episcopalian church, as well as a new St. Philip Catholic Church. In the 1880s the Michigan Central Railroad constructed a new depot. By the 1930s, the district was home to four churches, a public junior high and a Catholic school, and the local YMCA. [2]

Michigan Central Railroad transport company

The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada. After about 1867 the railroad was controlled by the New York Central Railroad, which later became part of Penn Central and then Conrail. After the 1998 Conrail breakup Norfolk Southern Railway now owns much of the former Michigan Central trackage.

Description

The Van Buren Street Historic District contains 22 buildings and structures, of which 19 contribute to the historic character of the neighborhood. Most of the buildings are large public and cultural structures, including churches, schools, and a railroad depot; three houses are also included. The structures are mostly located within a block of the intersection of Van Buren Street and Capital Streets. [2]

Buildings in the district include: [2]

Battle Creek station (Michigan Central Railroad) station in Battle Creek, Michigan

Battle Creek station, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Penn Central Railway Station, is a disused train station in Battle Creek, Michigan. It opened on July 27, 1888. Rogers and MacFarlane of Detroit designed the depot, one of several Richardsonian Romanesque-style stations between Detroit and Chicago in the late nineteenth century. Thomas Edison as well as Presidents William Howard Taft and Gerald Ford visited here. The depot was acquired by the New York Central Railroad in 1918, Penn Central in 1968 and Amtrak in 1970. The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2013-11-02). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 Mary Butler; Robert O. Christensen (December 1995), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Van Buren Street Historic District
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