Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District
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1208–1244 Randolph Street (address numbers count from right)
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| Location | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Built | 1840 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004404 |
| Added to NRHP | July 8, 1980 |
The Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District is a special area in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It has six old buildings on Randolph Street. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. These buildings are important because they are some of the few remaining commercial buildings from the Victorian era in Detroit. The district is close to the Broadway Avenue Historic District in downtown Detroit.
History of the Buildings
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People have been using the buildings on Randolph Street for shops and businesses since the 1840s. One building, at 1236-1244 Randolph, is very old and still stands from that time! The Odd Fellows Building was built in 1874. It has a cool Victorian style and is at the corner of Randolph and Monroe.
As Detroit got bigger, more shops were needed. So, other buildings on Randolph Street were built. This area stayed a popular shopping spot for many years, even into the 1900s.
Over time, the front parts of the buildings at street level were changed many times. Some buildings even had new top floors added. In the 1950s, many decorative parts at the top of the buildings were removed. However, the buildings still have their original Victorian brickwork and metal window frames.
Since they were built, these buildings have been home to many different businesses. There were law offices, tailors, and even sculptors. In the early 1900s, the area was mostly known for stores selling clothes and fabrics.
What the Buildings Look Like
In the Victorian era, this block had seven buildings next to each other. One building, the St. Claire Hotel, was torn down before 1980. Another building at 1224 Randolph was torn down in 1929 and a new one was built in its place. Here are the six buildings that were part of the district in 1980:
- 1208 Randolph (Odd Fellows Hall): This building has four stories and was built in 1874 by the Odd Fellows group. It is a great example of Victorian Italianate style. The first floor has large display windows for shops. The second floor has windows of different heights with stone decorations. The very top floor was changed around 1900.
- 1218 Randolph: This four-story Victorian building was likely built in 1872. It was torn down sometime after 1980.
- 1224 Randolph: In 1874, a four-story Victorian building, very similar to 1218, was built here. It was called the Laitner Brush Factory. In 1929, it was torn down and replaced with a two-story bank building made of white marble. The second floor of the bank has a special arched window with a wide marble frame.
- 1228-30 Randolph: This Victorian building was probably built around 1870. It has four stories and three sections. There are tall, thin columns separating the sections. The window tops on the second and third stories are made of pressed metal and stick out from the building.
- 1232-34 Randolph: This Victorian building looks almost exactly like the one next door at 1228-30, and it was built around the same time. The window tops on its second and third stories are a bit simpler.
- 1236-44 Randolph: This building is actually three smaller, three-story buildings that were slowly joined together over time. A smaller building at 1236 connects to the main building in the middle. An addition made the building reach the corner. Even though the fronts of these buildings have lost some of their original fancy designs, the two older parts likely date back to the 1840s.
See also
In Spanish: Distrito Histórico de Edificios Comerciales de Randolph Street para niños
