Kaleva Temple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Kaleva Temple
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Trimountain Ave., South Range, Michigan |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1910 |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002840 |
| Added to NRHP | March 19, 1982 |
The Kaleva Temple is an old building in South Range, Michigan. It was built to hold businesses and community groups. This special building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This means it's an important historical place in the United States.
Contents
History of the Kaleva Temple
Who Started Building the Temple?
A local businessman named Jacob Baer started building this large commercial building around 1907 or 1908. A "commercial building" is a place where businesses operate. Mr. Baer couldn't finish the building himself. So, he sold it to a group called the Kalevan Retaret.
The Kalevan Retaret: Finnish Society
The Kalevan Retaret was a Finnish society, also known as the Knights of Kaleva. It was a group that started in 1898 in Belt, Montana. They named themselves after the Kalevala, which is a famous collection of old Finnish poems.
The main goal of this group was to keep Finnish culture alive and share it. The society quickly grew. It spread from Montana to Finnish miners in the Keweenaw area of Michigan. A chapter of the group started in Hancock in 1899. Then, in 1904, it moved to South Range.
Finishing the Building in 1910
The Kalevans finished building the Temple in 1910. They officially named it the Kaleva Temple.
What Was Inside the Kaleva Temple?
When the Kaleva Temple first opened, it had three business offices on the first floor. The second floor was a large hall for Finnish social events. Over the years, many different groups and businesses used the building.
Some of the later tenants included:
- The Sons of Italy (another social group)
- A dentist's office
- A theater
- A restaurant
- An opera house
- A hardware store
- The justice of the peace (a local judge)
- The U.S. Post Office, which was there from 1915 to 1977
Later, the local Kaleva Lodge (the group that owned the building) moved out. The upper floor, which used to be a social hall, was then changed into apartments where people could live.
About the Kaleva Temple Building
What the Building Looks Like
The Kaleva Temple is a two-story building. It's made mostly of sandstone, which is a type of rock. The building is shaped like a rectangle. It has a special angled entrance on its east side.
Most of the building uses rough-cut sandstone. This means the stones have a natural, uneven look. But the front of the building has smooth stone for decoration. The very center of the front sticks out a little. On top of this part, there's a decorative cap with a pointed top. The year "1910" is carved into it, showing when the building was finished.
Why the Kaleva Temple is Important
The Kaleva Temple is important because it's a great example of a local commercial building from its time. It hasn't been changed much since it was built. It's also special because it was made using local materials. Many of the buildings around it are still there too. This helps us see what the area looked like a long time ago.
The Kaleva Temple helps us understand how businesses and social groups worked in South Range in the early 1900s.
