The Desenberg Building is a commercial building located at 251 East Michigan Avenue in Kalamazoo, Michigan, within the Haymarket Historic District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[1]
Desenberg Building | |
 | |
| Location | 251 E. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°17′33″N 85°34′51″W / 42.29250°N 85.58083°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1885 |
| Built by | Bush & Patterson |
| Architect | Adler & Sullivan |
| Architectural style | Chicago |
| Part of | Haymarket Historic District (ID83000860) |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001158[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 13, 1979 |
| Designated CP | May 27, 1983 |
History
editIn 1885, Bernhard Desenberg planned on building a large commercial block for use as a wholesale grocery. He hired the Chicago firm of Adler & Sullivan (whose principals were Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan) to design the building. Adler & Sullivan had previously designed the 1882 Academy of Music Building in Kalamazoo (now demolished), and may have been recommended to Desenberg by Frederick Bush of the contracting firm Bush & Patterson.[2]
Description
editThe Desenberg Building is a three-story rectangular commercial building with three storefront bays. The building measures approximately 58 feet by 90. The front facade is divided into three horizontal elements: the broad first-floor storefronts, the upper two stories, and the prominent sheet metal cornice running across the top. The upper floors are clad in orange brick. The windows are arranged in three groups of paired windows, with broad piers containing terra cotta bands between the groups.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b Rochelle S. Elstein (March 22, 1979), National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Desenberg Building, National Park Service