The tour begins at the west end of Center Avenue and

requires approximately one hour to complete

the 1.5 mile walk.

center avenue historic district

Walking TourThe Center Avenue Neighborhood Association is pleased to welcome you to the Center Avenue Historic District. Among our district’s 880 historic structures are examples of various architectural styles, including Arts & Crafts, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, Mid-Century Modern, Neo-Classical, Queen Anne, Richardsonian Romanesque, Second Empire, Shingle Style, Stick, and Tudor Revival, as well as kit homes by the Aladdin, Lewis, and Liberty companies.

1 Dr. Henry & Florence (Fitzhugh) Landon House

2 Bay City Branch Library

3 George & Elva Shearer House

4 Thomas Webster House

5 Charles & Georgiana (McGraw) Curtiss House

6 George & Maria Mann House

7 Dr. Virgil & Mary (Cranage) Tupper House

8 Anson Apartments 9 Joseph & Eliza Turner House

q Henry & Luella Clements House

w Grant & Anna Piggott House

e William & Jessie Clements House

r Robert & Jennie Bousfield House

t Morris & Emeline Courtright House

y Louis & Nettie Goeschel House

u Hanford & Jennie Meeker House

i Howard & Helen Smith House

o Ernest & Susie Perry House

p Frederick & Bessie Bradley Residence

a William Wieland House

s Julia Lillian Goddeyne House

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700 NORTH MONROE

Home Titledate

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AADDRESS

814 NORTH MONROE

708 CENTER AVENUE

900 FIFTH STREET

3 4

700 NORTH MONROE

1 2

Dr. Henry B. & Florence (Fitzhugh) Landon House

c. 1887This 3-story Queen Anne house, designed by architects Pratt & Koeppe, is characterized by multiple chimneys, cross gables, bays, and gable roof dormers. A single-story porch with a pediment above the entry features fan-like brackets between the porch supports. Henry, born in Monroe, graduated from U of M in 1865. He served as asst. surgeon in Co. D, 7th Reg. Mich. Vol. Inf. during the Civil War and was wounded in the battle of Fair Oaks in 1862. He operated his practice in the basement of this house, which later served as a rooming house for railroad workers. In 1907, it was purchased by William & Ida Hyatt for use as a funeral home, and then by William and Mary Ewald, making it the oldest funeral home in operation in Bay City.

The George H. & Elva Shearer Housec. 1876

George began as a laborer in his father James’ lumber busi-ness, eventually managing what became Shearer Brothers when his brother James B. joined the fi rm. The lumber, real estate and insurance company operated out of the Shearer Brothers Block at Center and Adams. George was also secretary of Elm Lawn Cemetery and vice-president of Bay County Savings Bank. His house was designed by his father in the Second Empire style, a Parisian style developed under Napoleon III featuring mansard roofs and strict, formal fa-cades. Two polygonal bays fl ank the entry porch, all sharing a decorative frieze and cornice. Inside, a central hall leads to the main rooms and staircase. In 2003, the house was converted from apartments into the Bay Justice Building.

Bay City Branch Library c. 1922

After being housed in various buildings since 1869, the east-side branch library found a permanent home thanks to the Carnegie Corporation, local leaders William Clements, James E. Davidson, and Charles R. Wells, and the govern-ment and citizens of Bay City. This neo-classical building, featuring an inviting entranceway surrounded by stone columns and pediment against a brick background, was designed by New York architect Edward Tilton, who designed several Carnegie libraries. Tilton took care to design a building that would fi t into the neighborhood, yet provide the prominence a library requires to highlight its signifi cance to the community. In 2006, Thumb National Bank converted it to commercial use, restoring many original features.

Thomas E. Webster Housec. 1886

Webster was born in 1848 in New York. He ran away from home to join the Union Army in 1864. After an honorable discharge, he attended the Delaware Literary Institute, Cornell University, and University of Michigan. He came to Bay City in 1874 to practice law and was elected a Bay County Probate Judge in 1880. He was also the V.P. of Elm Lawn Cemetery. Until he died in 1940, he was the last living Civil War veteran in Bay City as well as the last member of the G.A.R., a veterans’ organization. He built this stately 4,750 sq. ft. Queen Anne residence under the guidance of architects Pratt & Koeppe and lived here until his death. Converted to apartments in 1957, the interior and exterior have been returned to their original grandeur.

Charles B. & Georgiana (McGraw) Curtiss House

c. 1892Charles came to Bay City in 1864 from Ithaca, NY, to work for sawmill owners Henry Sage and John McGraw, eventu-ally buying the Bay City Dredging Co. His home’s archi-tecture is Shavian Manorial, a Queen Anne/Tudor Revival style named after the 1860s/70s neo-medieval work of the English architect Richard Norman Shaw. It was designed by William H. Miller, Ithaca’s most prominent late 19th/early 20th century architect, who designed many of Cornell’s buildings. Detroit architects Scott & Scott supervised the construction. The home, which has 23 rooms, 9 fi replaces, and a grand central staircase in the two-story entrance hall, is marked by projecting cross gables, half-timbering, and liberal use of Tennessee sandstone.

Dr. Virgil A. and Mary (Cranage) Tupper House

c. 1904Thomas and Julia Pitts Cranage commissioned Bay City architects Dillon P. Clark and Averdon Munger to design this stone and brick Georgian Revival house as a wedding present for Mary, their daughter, and Virgil, a general practitioner and surgeon, who was one of the founders of Mercy Hospital. Built by George Staudacher, who signed and dated a board found in a wall near the entrance door, the house features a prominent central entrance portico and terrace of red quarry tile fronted by fl uted Ionic columns surrounding the front door. Limestone Ionic scrolls also top the brick columns at the corners of the building, and prominent dental molding defi nes its cornice. In 1964, Peter B. Frantz converted the home to professional offi ces.

George W. and Maria C. Mann Housec.1879

In 1879, George, a lawyer and the secretary/treasurer for the Bay City Brick, Tile, & Terra Cotta Mfg. Co., purchased 3 lots from the estate of Greahe Wilson for $300. The deed states “buildings and improvements” were included, but is unclear if that meant this Stick Victorian house or one that used to be north of it on one of the lots. In 1892, Amos J. Woolfi tt, manager of the Bay City Beef Co., bought the house with his wife, Mary, and the family lived here until 1972. A 1912 Sanborn Map shows the addition of 4 porches and enlargement of a carriage house. The house features decorative trusses, accentuated corner boards, distinctive plaster crown molding, and large rooms on the main fl oor radiating out from the main foyer.

Anson Apartments c. 1916

The Anson Apartments were designed, fi rst owned, and lived in by Bay City’s premier architect, Leverett Anson Pratt, of the fi rm Pratt, Bickel & Campbell (formerly Pratt & Koeppe). Built by Henry C. Weber Construction Company using the fi nest materials, the approximately 2,400-square-foot apartments (2 per fl oor) feature paneled wainscoting and timbered walls and ceilings of American satin walnut and red gum woods milled at Westover-Kamm Co. When it was completed, The Bay City Daily Times announced that the deluxe building provided luxurious apartment living, incorporating modern features found nowhere else in Michigan.

924 CENTER AVENUE

1001 CENTER AVENUE

701 NORTH GRANT

1412 CENTER AVENUE

5 6

7 8

Joseph & Eliza Turner Housec. 1889

Joseph, owner of the Turner Lumber Co., commissioned architect Dillon Prosser Clark to design the house, but it was Eliza’s infl uence that resulted in one of Michigan’s fi nest examples of Queen Anne architecture. A lower-level kitchen and dining room refl ect her southern style, as does the east-facing entry porch with a spindled balus-trade, behind which is a sprawling entry hall with an or-nate fi replace, staircase, and 3-story bank of stained-glass windows. Other features include a rusticated sandstone foundation, mitered corners, elaborate ornamentation, and a third fl oor ballroom. In 1909, the home was sold to the Hawleys, and in 1927, to the Meisels, who converted library and music rooms to fi rst-fl oor kitchen and dining rooms.

Grant H. & Anna R. Piggott Housec. 1921

This colonial revival home is “The Lenox” model from Lewis-Built Homes, a pre-cut housing company operating in Bay City from 1913–1973. Single-story wings, side-gable roofs, and brick interior end chimneys create a sym-metrical façade. The central entry, featuring pediment, pilasters, side lights, and transom, opens into a central hall fl anked by the stairway (the room at the back is an addition). The 1917 catalog price was $1,859.06 with extra charges for shutters and various wood interior fi nishings. Grant was from Ontario and V.P. of Piggott Bros., a house-wares business on Water St., before opening his own business. Anna grew up at 1715 Center, and her father, Dr. David Stone, ran his medical practice from the Queen Anne-style cottage next door.

Henry & Luella Clements Housec. 1890

Henry worked with his father James and brother William at Industrial Works, designers of a rail-mounted shovel and crane employed at the Chicago Columbian Exposition and the Panama Canal. His house is unusual in Bay City because it is one of the few Queen Anne Style homes built of brick. Instead of ornamental trim, bricks are placed in decorative patterns to accentuate the structure’s shape and composition. The fi rst fl oor plate window is framed with a distinctive Romanesque arch of rusticated stone, displaying the Victorian tendency to mix styles. In 1913 Hector McKinnon, president of McKinnon Boiler and Machine Co., purchased the house, followed in 1920 by Judge Samuel Houghton, who prepared the charter that united Bay City and West Bay City.

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1701 CENTER AVENUE

1601 CENTER AVENUE

1712 CENTER AVENUE

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William L. & Jessie Clements Housec. 1886

William was president of Bay City Industrial Works, a com-pany along the Saginaw River that produced steam shovels and cranes, including equipment used to build the Panama Canal. Contributing much to Bay City, he is best known as a passionate collector of rare books, particularly primary sources of early American history. In 1923, he founded the Clements Library at the University of Michigan and donated his collection to the facility. At the time, it totaled 20,000 books, 2,000 newspapers, hundreds of maps, and the papers of the British prime minister who negotiated the end of the Revolutionary War. The Clements lived in this house, a Queen Anne design with Shingle Style infl uences designed by Pratt and Koeppe, until 1910.

Robert E. & Jennie Bousfi eld Housec. 1895

Upon purchasing the Portsmouth & Bay City Wooden-ware Co., Alfred moved to Bay City from Ohio, followed by his brother, Robert. Incorporated in 1881, Bousfi eld & Co. became the country’s largest maker of tubs, pails, and churns. Robert, the company’s vice president, bought this lot from lumberman Fremont B. Chesbrough, of 1515 Center. Designed by Pratt & Koeppe of Bay City, his home mixes Colonial Revival and Neo-Classical elements in an asymmetrical array of Ionic columns, bay windows and arches anchored by a sweeping veranda overlooked by a decorative balcony. Subsequent owners include Frank Woodworth, lumber baron and mayor of Bay City; William Ballard, physician; and Jack Coryell, owner of Monitor Sugar and Robert Gage Coal Co.

Louis & Nettie Goeschel Housec. 1875

Little is known of John Jones, the original owner of the house. It was sold to the Goeschels in 1887. Louis was a well-known businessman, starting out as grocer and venturing into insurance and foreign travel. He hired Pratt & Koeppe to do major remodeling of the house in 1888. The house remained in the Goeschel family for three generations, passing to daughters and husbands, until 1964: fi rst to Nova G. & Russell S. Eddy (1929), and then to Marion E. & Paul E. Wendland (1947). This beautiful Queen Anne style house was modernized in the 1950s by removing most of the porch and covering the house with aluminum siding. The porch was reconstructed and the siding removed to reveal and restore architectural details in 2006-2008.

Morris L. & Emeline Courtright Housec. 1896

Morris, an attorney, hired the Detroit fi rm of Scott, Kamper, Scott to build his two-and-a-half story Shingle Style residence between 1896 and 1900. The house fea-tures a general pyramidal composition with emphasized horizontal lines. The fi rst story exterior is composed of 2-foot-thick course granite, while the upper stories are faced with closely-spaced wood shingles. A large front gable extends above the eaves to the attic level of the steeply-pitched hipped roof. The fl exible interior plan revolves around a two-story central hall containing a free-standing, double-sided fi replace and dramatic staircase framed in rounded arches and featuring a spiral-spindled railing. The 6,850 sq. ft. house contains 19 rooms and 8 fi replaces.

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1817 CENTER AVENUE

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1900 CENTER AVENUE

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Hanford E. & Jennie Meeker Housec. 1891

Hanford was born in Ohio and came to Michigan after serving as a soldier in the Civil War. He settled in Bay City in 1871 and estab-lished the wholesale grocery fi rm of Meeker & Adams, which he managed until his death in 1913. Local architects Pratt & Koeppe designed and built this two and one-half story Queen Anne, hipped-roof house with lower cross gable bays and wrap-around porch. The fi rm was responsible for many of Bay City’s fi ner structures including City Hall, St. Stanislaus Church, the Masonic Temple, and numerous other residences. After Mrs. Meeker’s death in 1932, the home was converted into a duplex. A prominent resident during the early 1960s was Dr. Esson Gale, renowned scholar, Orientalist, and Foreign Service Offi cer who served the U.S. State Department and the Chinese government in China from 1908-1945. Mrs. Gale, a daughter of missionaries, was the fi rst white child born in Korea.

Howard F. & Helen S. Smith House c. 1912

This 2.5-story colonial revival house features a side-gable roof with segmental arch dormers, a symmetrical front facade with central oriel windows above the entry, 6/1 double-hung sash windows, and single story wings on each side. A graceful stairway anchors the entry hall and leads to the home’s 6 bedrooms. Howard, who grew up at 1112 Center, was V.P. of the National Cycle & Mfg. Co., started by his father, Henry B., in 1892. The book The Bay County Story, from Footpaths to Freeways states National Cycle’s international sales put Bay City “on the map.” National Cycle’s factory was sold to the Chevrolet Motor Co. in 1916, after which Howard served as an offi cer in various companies, including American Textiles Inc. and World’s Star Knitting Company.

Ernest & Susie Perry House c. 1912

Ernest was president of Industrial Works, the country’s biggest supplier of railroad cranes, having worked his way up from draftsman; he died shortly after its merger with Brownhoist Corporation in 1927. Upon Susie’s death in 1944, Hoyt Hayes, Perry’s successor as president of Industrial Brownhoist, purchased the home with his wife, Marie, and lived in it for 40 years. The Tudor Revival residence was designed by Dillon Prosser Clark and is constructed of hollow terra cotta bricks covered by brick veneer and cypress half-timbering; the fl oors are separat-ed by 13 inches of concrete. Its 32-room interior includes 6 fi replaces, 5 full and 3 half bathrooms, 6 bedrooms, a library, and an elevator. Originally, it had extensively landscaped grounds.

2167 CENTER AVENUE

2301 CENTER AVENUE

2230 CENTER AVENUE

2494 CENTER AVENUE

17 18

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William Wieland Housec. 1889

William Wieland, who owned a saloon on the northwest corner of Center and Ringold (which no longer goes through to Center), established a dairy farm here in 1889. He sold it to William Cuthbert, an Englishman. After arriving in Bay City in 1893, Cuthbert fi rst worked on the William H. Culver farm. Upon Culver’s death, he mar-ried Culver’s widow, Grace (McDonald). After purchas-ing Wieland’s farm in 1894, he operated it (producing 60 gallons of milk a day in 1905 for wholesale and retail) until moving to Lakewood, Ohio, around 1936. The house, which has been extensively remodeled, is a front gable style Victorian farm house featuring a full-length porch with post supports, jigsaw detailing, and pediment over a central entry.

Frederick W. & Bessie Bradley Residence

c. 1909Frederick was president of Bradley Milling, a manufacturer of wooden crates and boxes, part of Bradley & Sons, a lumber business owned by his father, Nathan B. Bradley, Bay City’s fi rst mayor. F.B. also served as a director of the First National and Bay County Savings banks. He hired the Detroit fi rm of Alpheus W. Chittenden and Jasper Kotting to design this brick and stucco Arts & Crafts-infl uenced mansion, which is accessed by a distinctive trussed central entry set off by grouped columns. Among the now 8,500 sq. ft. are six bedrooms, a 3rd-fl oor ballroom, a large entrance hall fl anked by a marble basin fountain and angled stairway, and a relaxing loggia sweeping across the back and overlooking the once extensive gardens (since subdivided).

Julia Lillian Goddeyne Housec. 1950

Lillian was a Bay City Central High School English teacher and porcelain artist whose father, Leo D. Goddeyne, established Goddeyne Hardware at 3rd and Johnson. Her brother, noted Bay City architect Joseph C. Goddeyne, designed her house, a fi ne example of Mid-Century Modern architecture and post-war design along Center Avenue. The horizontal lines of the house create a long and low profi le, which is enhanced by large windows, low chimneys, and horizontal banding on the hipped roof. The interior features an open fl oor plan, several built-ins, tongue and groove birch woodwork, radiant heated fl oors, and bathrooms tiled in fl amingo pink, cerulean blue, and seafoam green. Overlooking a courtyard at the back of the house is a sunroom with a built-in BBQ.

2506 CENTER AVENUE

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We hope you enjoy your visit. Please visit our website at:

www.CANABayCity.org to learn more about the membership opportunities, education,

conservation and preservation efforts of CANA.

FUNDED IN PART BY THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, MDOT, AND THE MICHIGAN & WENONA QUESTERS.

The Center Avenue Neighborhood Association was born from a need to preserve our rich architectural legacy for future generations. Membership is available to all individuals

and organizations who share our interest in protecting the historic character of the Center

Avenue Historic District and the greater Bay City community.

CANA is dedicated to preserving and protecting Bay City’s architectural heritage within the

Center Avenue Historic District.