Quick Facts

Built around 1930, this prominent corner structure swept away a cluster of 19th-century wooden frame buildings that had occupied the intersection for decades. 

The building served as a major mid-century retail anchor for the community, operating as an A&P grocery and the Pure Food Shop before anchoring the block as Oren’s Department Store from 1943 to 1970. 

After housing the Sam’s Brothers clothing store in the 1980s, the property found its modern purpose when an architecture firm took over the building in 1992 and redesigned the exterior bays. 

The structure lost its original 1930s tie-back street canopies over the years, culminating in a 1993 historic renovation that converted the wide retail display windows into dedicated multi-paned office entries. 

NPS Description

127-131 South Main Street, ca. 1930. 

Contributing

Description

Commercial Brick one-story professional building at the corner of East Michigan Street and South Main Street. Brick piers divide the façade into three sections. The upper façade in each displays a horizontal panel outlined by raised soldier and stretcher bricks and another panel outlined by header and rowlock brick inside it. The storefront has wood, aluminum, and glass fixed windows with transoms and multiple points of entry in the three large bays. Wrapping around the corner onto East Michigan Street, the storefront continues with wood, aluminum, and glass fixed windows with transoms for one large bay. The south (side) elevation has more raised brick panels on the east and west ends of the elevation. On the east side of the elevation is a wood, aluminum, and glass bay with fixed windows and point of entry similar to the storefront. The windows on the south elevation are rectangular fixed windows with decorative muntins. 

The east (rear) elevation is of plain brick with two points of entry. The north elevation is not visible due to adjoining buildings. 

History 

This one-story building, extending from 127 to 131 South Main, replaced a series of one-story frame buildings that had existed on the site from the 1880s into the 1920s. It was likely built around 1930; the city directories separately list 127, 129, and 131 under the name N. D. Gover in 1930 rather than listing business names, and the building as it is today is shown in the 1931 Sanborn map. From 1934 to 1943, 2 separate businesses are listed here: the A&P at 127, and the Pure Food Shop and Oren’s Down Stairs Store at 131. Oren’s Department Store occupied the building from 1943 to 1970. After no listings for the early 1970s, the building housed Sam’s Brothers clothing store from 1978 to 1992. Goudreau Wakely and Associates Architects moved here from the 200 block of Main Street in 1992 and remain in the building. 

Integrity Analysis 

The one-story brick commercial building features the decorative brickwork characteristic of the 1930s era of commercial architecture, but is otherwise relatively simple in character. When constructed the building had a large projecting canopy tied back to the brick on both the South Main and East Michigan elevations. The storefronts were of glass and aluminum with rows of transom windows above. The double-door entry was centered on South Main with display windows to either side and rounding the corner onto East Michigan. By the 1980s, the projecting canopy had been removed and replaced with aluminum awnings placed over the transom windows. In 1993, Goudreau Wakely and Associates converted the building from retail to office space. They installed three new storefronts on South Main, each with multiple-paned windows, side entries, and transom windows above. 

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.