Jan. 29, 2009

Michigan's State Historic Preservation Review Board today announced that the Lansing Downtown Historic District was 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 in Benton Harbor (Berrien County);
• Richter Brewery in Escanaba (Delta County);
• Lake Linden Historic District (Houghton County);
• H. Augustus and Agnes Cleveland O'Dell House in Bloomfield Hills (Oakland County);
• Nathaniel and Esther Savidge Robbins House in 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.

Lansing Downtown Historic District (North and South Washington, Grand, North and South Capitol and Michigan avenues, Allegan, Washtenaw, Kalamazoo, Lenawee and Townsend streets)

Eighty-nine buildings contribute to the Lansing Downtown Historic District, located in the commercial and political center of Michigan's capital city. Buildings in the district date from 1860 to around 1970 and represent the careers of some of Lansing's most important 19th to mid-20th-century architects.

Anchor buildings like the recently rehabilitated Arbaugh Building (1905), the Art Deco Bank of Lansing (1931-32), the Moderne Knapp's Department Store (1937) and the Modernist Lansing Public Library (1964) are being recognized as well as many more modest early-20th-century structures.

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 Lansing Downtown Historic District 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).