Quick Facts

NPS Description

113 W. Broadway, ca. 1895-1910 

Non-contributing (built within the period of significance but subsequent alterations have sufficiently impacted integrity to render it non-contributing) 

Description

This building is now one address encompassing what was historically four buildings: three one-story (109, 111, and 117 West Broadway) and one two-story (113-115 West Broadway). The buildings are mostly constructed of brick, with several concrete block additions to the rear. The north and west elevations (facing Broadway and Washington Streets) are now covered with gray brick on the lower half and gray EIFS on the upper half and on the second story of the two-story building. On the north elevation, there is a glass and aluminum entry door with a set of three display windows to the side on the former 111 West Broadway building; a glass and aluminum double entry door at 113 West Broadway; and a recessed glass and aluminum entry door at 117 West Broadway. The north elevation also has one window at the west end of the first floor and three in the second floor, all square-head replacement fixed-pane aluminum units. A thin band of cornice molding extends just below the parapets on this elevation. The west elevation has a recessed glass and aluminum entry door towards the south end, and a series of aluminum windows along the rest of the elevation. 

The east elevation is brick at the front and concrete block at the rear addition, all painted. There are a number of infilled window openings that retain their segmental-arch heads. There is a steel entry door at the south end. The south elevation is concrete block and varies from one to two stories. It has steel entry doors and fixed pane aluminum windows. There is a steel exterior stair leading to the second floor of 113-115. 

History 

Prior to 1895, the west half of the 100 West Broadway block housed a number of one and two story frame buildings, including a livery stable on the northwest corner and a tin shop on the northeast corner. By 1895 those buildings had been cleared and a one story brick building was listed on the Sanborn map as under construction at 109 (then 127) West Broadway on the northeast corner. By 1910, the remainder of that side of the block had been completed with an additional one-story brick building at 111, a two story-brick building at 113-115, and a one-story brick building at 117. Two one-story additions spanned the rears of 111-115. At that time, 109 was a lunch restaurant, 111-115 housed an agricultural implements store, and 117 was a photo studio. 109 West Broadway was occupied at various times by a restaurant and lunch room (Star Lunch Room, 1932-42), the Franklin Supply Company (1943-48), a showroom for the Mt. Pleasant Hardware Store (1949-58), and the Mt. Pleasant Supply Company (1963-1975); 109 then disappears from the directory listings. 111-115 remained an agricultural and implement store through 1933 (McCall and Dexter’s), then became Harford’s Tire, Battery and Electrical Service until 1945. In 1949, the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 195 occupied all three addresses, remaining there into the late 1990s. 117 West Broadway housed the Collins Studio and Art Store from its construction until 1940; following that, the address was occupied by the Bailes Beauty School, which later became the Mt. Pleasant Beauty School (1949). In the late 1960s, the Beauty School moved across Washington Street to 201 West Broadway (see below) and was later renamed the Murphy Beauty College. 117 West Broadway then disappeared from the directories, leaving only the Loyal Order of Moose listed on this part of the block into the late 1990s. The buildings were later occupied by Faith Community Church and are now the headquarters of the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor and Convention Bureau. 

Integrity Analysis 

There is little historical information available about these buildings beyond what can be derived from the Sanborn maps and one historic photograph from ca. 1910. 109 and 111 were both one-story brick buildings that appeared to have very similar upper walls with a high parapet. The first floor storefront at 111 shared similar columns or piers with 113-115 next door, which makes sense as they were one store during that period. Window openings on 109-111 cannot be determined but they likely had some kind of decorative frieze above the storefronts. 113-115 was a two-story light-colored brick building with three (possibly) arched windows on the second floor and a small cornice. 117 was also a one-story darker colored brick building; little can be made out of the storefront details, but it did have several windows on the west elevation. Both 113-115 and 117 had “photo skylights” on their west walls. Sections of the wall were cut down and angled glass skylights were installed. All the buildings on this half block had a series of one-story additions as documented on the Sanborn maps; by 1950 these consisted of a one-story concrete block addition behind 109 and another narrow concrete block one-story addition stretching along 111 to 115. This roughly reflects the current configuration. It is unclear what alterations occurred to these buildings, but currently the north and west elevations have been covered with a new façade of non-historic brick and EIFS. 

Sources 

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (Mt. Pleasant: 1884, 1890, 1895, 1900, 1910, 1924, 1931, 1950); Mt. Pleasant City Directories, 1925-1998; Past and Present of Isabella County, 1911; City of Mt. Pleasant Building Permits; historic photographs.