Jan. 29, 2009

Michigan's State Historic Preservation Review Board today announced that two Upper Peninsula properties - Lake Linden Historic District in Houghton County and Richter Brewery in Delta County - were included among seven nominations recently submitted to the National Register of Historic Places.

Additional nominated properties from throughout the state include:

• Mary's City of David Historic District, Benton Harbor (Berrien County);
• Lansing Downtown Historic District (Ingham County);
• H. Augustus and Agnes Cleveland O'Dell House in Bloomfield Hills (Oakland County);
• Nathaniel and Esther Savidge Robbins House, Grand Haven (Ottawa County); and
• River Terrace Apartments in Detroit (Wayne County).

"The properties nominated to the National Register this month reflect the great diversity of story and place among Michigan's many historic sites," said Mark Hoffman, acting director of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. "The Lake Linden Historic District in the Upper Peninsula's Copper Country represents Michigan's proud industrial past, while Mary's City of David in Benton Harbor captures the presence of a long-standing religious community. These are all historically significant properties worthy of being preserved and shared with future generations."

As a result of National Register designation, the owners of income-producing individually listed properties or contributing buildings in a district will be eligible to apply for federal historic preservation tax credits. Single-resource local historic districts and contributing buildings located in local historic districts will be eligible to apply for state historic preservation tax credits.

Lake Linden Historic District, Calumet Street between First and Eighth streets, plus parts of Hecla and Schoolcraft streets, Lake Linden

Lake Linden is one of many mill towns that served the Keweenaw Peninsula's mining industry; however, it developed into a larger and more commercially diverse community than some of the others. The commercial diversity enabled the town to build and maintain a strong commercial core. The nominated district is the commercial and residential development that grew up around the Calumet & Hecla Company's stamping mill on Torch Lake. Many of the district's commercial buildings are brick and post-date an 1887 fire that destroyed the business district. Sixty-eight commercial buildings, houses and church buildings contribute to the historic character of the district.

Richter Brewery, 1615 Ludington St., Escanaba

Prior to construction of the Richter Brewery in 1900-1901, Escanaba's beer market was served mainly by out-of-town breweries. In 1918, Michigan's own Prohibition law took effect and the brewery became a manufacturing and bottling plant for nonalcoholic beverages. When Prohibition ended in 1933 the building was taken over by the Delta Brewing Company. More than 15,000 people celebrated the opening of the new brewery and were treated to free beer and sandwiches. Delta operated until 1940. Only a few historic brewery buildings remain in Michigan, including those in Ann Arbor, Coldwater, Detroit and Saginaw. The former brewery building will be rehabilitated as loft apartments.

The State Historic Preservation Review Board considers nominations to the register three times per year. The review board forwards nominations to the keeper of the National Register, Department of the Interior. The State Historic Preservation Office 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 is a division of the Michigan Historical Center, part of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, the department also includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Photos of the Lake Linden Historic District and Richter Brewery are available for download at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mipreservation/JanuaryNominationsToNationalRegisterOfHistoricPlaces?feat=directlink.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).