Seven Michigan Sites Added to the National Register of Historic Places

LANSING, Mich., Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) at the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), today announced the addition of seven Michigan sites to the National Register of Historic Places.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110419/MM85741LOGO)  

"The listing of sites in the national register represents interest and hard work by individuals throughout the state who see the value of their historic buildings — what these structures contribute to the community — and have taken the initiative to obtain listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the nation's list of historic sites worthy of preservation," said State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway. "These historic structures are irreplaceable and we hope this recognition will assist in their preservation."

The sites include:

In Houghton County: Saint Henry's Evangelical Lutheran Church and Cemetery, MI 38 (Laird Township), Nisula vicinity
St. Henry's Evangelical Lutheran Church and Cemetery includes a clapboarded church of Gothic-inspired design and a cemetery that adjoins it on either side. They stand on a nearly 9 1/4-acre rectangular site at Nisula, the site of a Finnish settlement in Houghton County's Laird Township, established in 1894. The present church was built in 1904, with some exterior changes in 1913, 1925 and 1932.

In Grand Rapids, Kent County: Eastern Avenue School, 758 Eastern Ave., NE and Lexington School, 45 Lexington, NW
Eastern Avenue School and Lexington School were two of a series of schools designed by Board of Education Staff Architect Henry H. Turner and built for Grand Rapids Public Schools in Grand Rapids between 1915 and 1929, a period of accelerated expansion and improvement district-wide.

Eastern was built to replace Michigan School (1885), approximately a mile to the southwest at the corner of Michigan Street and College Avenue. Approval was given in 1925 to purchase the property, and Turner was authorized to submit plans and specifications for the new school. Eastern Avenue School was an educational, recreational and social focal point of its residential neighborhood.

Lexington was built to replace the old Jefferson School, built in 1868. Unlike Jefferson School (Lexington Street was originally named Jefferson), Lexington School was an educational, recreational and social focal point of its residential neighborhood. This concept was reinforced in the 1960s when the school became a park-school. The school building was built in 1915 in a simplified Arts-and-Crafts-influenced Neoclassicism. 

In Marquette County: Park Hotel and Cabins, 11137 Cty. Rd. LLK, Republic
The Park Hotel, built in 1943-46 by the Consul family, is situated on just over 15 acres on a pine-clad peninsula along the Michigamme River in Republic. The property consists of a two-story vertical log hotel at the front of the property near the street, 15 stone cabins located along the edge of the river, two open woodsheds behind the hotel and the stone foundation and lower walls for a home that was never finished in the center of the site. The site is a peninsula wrapped by the Michigamme River, here forming a small lake backed up behind a dam a little over a mile to the south. When development started, the site contained few trees. A reported 10,000 pine trees were brought in and planted and now form a mature landscape. The pines and other trees and rock outcrops create a majestic backdrop for this historic site.

In Newago County: Fremont High School, 204 E. Main, Fremont
Located in downtown Fremont, the former Fremont High School occupies most of two city blocks and is constructed in three distinct sections. These include the original 1926 high school, a two-story building whose exterior combines Arts-and-Crafts-inspired Commercial Brick detailing with Classical Revival features. The other two sections include the 1961 International style gymnasium and natatorium and the 1988 connector between the two earlier buildings.

In Oakland County: Lower Trout Lake Bathhouse Complex and Contact Station, Bald Mountain Recreation Area Entrance Dr. (Orion Township), Auburn Hills vicinity
The Lower Trout Lake Bathhouse Complex and Contact Station are significant under national register criteria A and C as Modernist structures unique within the Michigan state park system and inspired by the Modern architecture of the National Park Service's nationwide Mission 66 program. The buildings were designed by world renowned architect Gunnar Birkerts who is known for his high-style Modern structures. 

In Wayne County: Henry Ford Hospital, 2799 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit
Henry Ford Hospital began in 1914 when the expanding population of Detroit required additional hospital facilities. At its start it was unique in its staffing and billing practices. Through the years the hospital's doctors and scientists developed a number of innovative medical discoveries and practices, including a number of procedures that were the first performed in Detroit and Michigan. Ford Motor Company-founder Henry Ford incorporated the hospital, was president of the board for most of his life, had a strong influence on how the hospital was run and paid for its construction and initial operations. It is one of the few remaining major Detroit hospitals established in the 1910s that still retains its historic buildings, which were designed by a number of notable Detroit architectural firms.

Historic sites are nominated to the national register by the State Historic Preservation Review Board, which considers nominations to the register three times per year. On behalf of the review board, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) forwards nominations to the keeper of the National Register, National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, for listing. Michigan has more than 1,600 listings in the National Register of Historic Places, including some 250 districts comprising more than 20,000 properties.

The SHPO coordinates the National Register Program in Michigan. For information on the National Register of Historic Places and other programs of the State Historic Preservation Office, visit www.michigan.gov/shpo or call (517) 373-1630.

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is financed in part by a grant from the National Park Service, Department of Interior. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of the Interior. The Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on its federally funded assistance programs. If you believe you've been discriminated against please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C. St. NW, Washington DC 20240.

The State Historic Preservation Office is part of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), which provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents and to engage in community economic development activities to revitalize urban and rural communities.*

*MSHDA's loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds as well as notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. Proceeds are loaned at below-market interest rates to developers of rental housing, and help fund mortgages and home improvement loans. MSHDA also administers several federal housing programs. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mshda.

SOURCE Michigan State Housing Development Authority