National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). 1. Name of Property Historic name Mount Pleasant Downtown Historic District Other names/site number 2. Location street & number Roughly bounded by Mosher, Franklin, Illinois, and Washington Streets not for publication city or town Mount Pleasant vicinity State Michigan code MI county Isabella code 073 zip code 48858 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X_ nomination _ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property X_ meets _ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: national statewide X _ local ____________________________________ Signature of certifying official Date MI SHPO ____________ ____________________________________ _____________________________________ Title State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. ____________________________________ Signature of commenting official Date ___________________ _________ Title State or Federal agency and bureau 4. National Park Service Certification I, hereby, certify that this property is: Signature of the Keeper Date of Action entered in the National Register _________________________________________________________________ determined eligible for the National Register _________________________________________________________________ determined not eligible for the National Register ___________________ removed from the National Register _________ other (explain:) _________________________________________________________________ Mt. Pleasant Downtown Historic District Isabella County, Michigan Name of Property County and State 5. Classification Ownership of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property (Check as many boxes as apply) (Check only one box) (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing X Private building(s) 45 25 buildings X public - Local X district 1 sites public - State site structures public - Federal structure Objects Private building(s) object 46 25 Total Name of related multiple property listing Number of contributing resources previously (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) listed in the National Register N/A None 6. Function or Use Historic Functions Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) (Enter categories from instructions) DOMESTIC – Multiple Dwelling DOMESTIC – Multiple Dwelling COMMERCE/TRADE - Business COMMERCE/TRADE - Business COMMERCE/TRADE - Professional COMMERCE/TRADE - Professional COMMERCE/TRADE - Organizational COMMERCE/TRADE - Organizational COMMERCE/TRADE – Financial Institution COMMERCE/TRADE – Financial Institution COMMERCE/TRADE – Specialty Store COMMERCE/TRADE – Specialty Store COMMERCE/TRADE – Department Store COMMERCE/TRADE – Restaurant COMMERCE/TRADE – Restaurant RECREATION AND CULTURE - Theater SOCIAL – Meeting Hall SOCIAL – Civic GOVERNMENT – City Hall GOVERNMENT – Post Office GOVERNMENT - Firehouse RECREATION AND CULTURE - Theater RECREATION AND CULTURE – Music Facility 2 Mt. Pleasant Downtown Historic District Isabella County, Michigan Name of Property County and State 7. Description Architectural Classification Materials (Enter categories from instructions) (Enter categories from instructions) LATE VICTORIAN - Italianate foundation: STONE LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY REVIVALS – Classical Revival CONCRETE walls: BRICK OTHER - Exterior Insulation Finishing System (EIFS) WOOD – Weatherboard STONE - Sandstone OTHER - Porcelain Enamel MODERN MOVEMENT – Art Deco WOOD – Shake International Style Roof: ASPHALT other: GLASS; METAL - Aluminum Narrative Description Summary Paragraph The Mount Pleasant Downtown Historic District encompasses eight blocks of the city’s historic commercial district, centered at the intersection of Broadway and Main Streets. Located in the valley of the Chippewa River, which borders the district on the west, the downtown follows a standard ordinal grid system. Close-set brick buildings line the streets on either side, flanked by wide sidewalks which contain a variety of street trees, planting beds, and other furnishings. The district contains 70 buildings dating from the 1870s to the 1950s that range from one to three stories in height, but one and two story buildings predominate. The predominant styles are late nineteenth century Italianate and early twentieth century Commercial Brick, with a few other styles, including Art Deco and early mid-century Modern, included. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description Downtown Mt. Pleasant is a compact district centered on the intersection of Main and Broadway streets. Situated on relatively level ground, the downtown is located close to the Chippewa River, which winds its way roughly north to south at the western edge of the district and is bordered by the city’s four parks: Island Park, Nelson Park, Mill Pond Park, and Chipp-a-Waters Park. The Great Lakes Central Railroad also runs north to south to the west of downtown, roughly paralleling the route of the river. West Broadway Street crosses the railroad and Chippewa River approximately 1500 feet west of the Main Street/Broadway Street intersection. Approximately one half mile to the east is Mission Road, Business Route 127, which runs north and south and serves as the city’s newer commercial thoroughfare; it provides connections at the north and south ends of the city to the main north-south expressway in this part of Michigan, US 127, another mile to the east. The campus of Central Michigan University is located about a mile south of the downtown district. The downtown is formed on a standard city grid, with intersecting north/south and east/west streets forming city blocks approximately 200-250 feet square. The historic district encompasses about three and a half blocks east to west and three blocks north to south. The district is primarily commercial in nature. It is bordered by historic residential neighborhoods to the north, south, and east, and the city’s recreational parks to the west. Commercial businesses continue east along Broadway to Mission Road, while the county’s governmental offices are located on Main Street just north of the district. An old industrial area northwest of the Main/Broadway intersection along the north side of Broadway contains the block-long former Borden Creamery, now sensitively refurbished to serve as Mt. Pleasant’s City Hall, and the former railroad station, now expanded and made into a restaurant/brew pub. Other uses on the perimeter of the district as it transitions to residential include educational (schools, library), religious, commercial/retail and light industrial. Circulation into/out of and within the district is primarily vehicular and focused on the street grid. Traffic feeds from multiple points to and from the north, south, east, and west, with the primary connectors being Main and Broadway streets. Main 3 Mt. Pleasant Downtown Historic District Isabella County, Michigan Name of Property County and State Street feeds one way north into the downtown while Washington, one block to the west, carries traffic one way south. Broadway, a two-way street, is the main connector to BR 127/Mission Street to the east. One block north of Broadway, a roundabout has been installed on Main Street at Mosher, with Mosher Street extended diagonally to provide a connection to South Washington. The triangular space thus created has a semi-circular parking lot; another semi-circular parking lot to the northwest of the Mosher bypass is private parking for the residential high-rise just beyond. Vehicular parking is permitted along the downtown streets and is a mixture of parallel and angled slots with a number of surface parking lots located around the perimeter of the district. Alleys behind the principal buildings provide secondary access for deliveries and limited parking for tenants and residents. The streets, alleys, and parking lots are all paved with asphalt or concrete. The streets are lined with sidewalks for pedestrian circulation. These are typical modern concrete sidewalks with brick accents. In some areas along Broadway and Main Streets, semi-circular extensions and bump-outs have been installed to provide seating and planting areas and slow down vehicular traffic through the streets.Bicyclists are provided with secure racks, either via circular metal fasteners attached to street signs,