Escanaba downtown listed on historic register

Escanaba’s downtown is now added to the list of historic downtown districts on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The status came through Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Office along with the approval of the same status for Owosso and Alma, both downstate. 

Being on the register has far-reaching effects for the city and the downtown; it means historic preservation tax credits can be applied to rehabilitate older buildings, and that investment in downtown buildings can be eased through incentives and grant funding.

The office said in the announcement Escanaba was chosen for the designation because of local interest in historic rehabilitation, like the recent conversion of the vacant Richter Brewery into apartments and retail spaces in the Lofts on Ludington project.

The new Escanaba Central Historic District includes the 200-1800 blocks of Ludington Street, from the House of Ludington to the former Stegath Lumber and Richter Brewery buildings, more than a mile long. It also includes parts of adjacent blocks to Ludington Street that are part of the city’s central business district. The historic district designation encompasses 185 buildings ranging from the early 1880s to the 1960s. The buildings include four churches, three theaters, a former post office, fraternal and social hall buildings, and commercial buildings that have housed hotels, banks, department stores, restaurants, saloons, stores, and offices.

Writer: Kim Eggleston
Source: State Historic Preservation Office