Nineteenth-Century Commercial Architecture of Rochester, Michigan

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2. Rollin Sprague Building/Old Stone Store

Architectural style: Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival The Rollin Sprague Building/Old Stone Store is a two-story gable-front building with walls of coursed cobblestone construction, which is located on the northeast corner of Main and Third Streets in Rochester's central business district. A number of businesses have occupied the building since its construction around 1849. The building's current facade, its fourth, replicates a Late Victorian pressed metal facade constructed in 1899. Although the structure has undergone a number of changes, it still retains most of its original coursed cobblestone construction and some Greek Revival trim. Historic Use: Commerce/Trade: Business Current Use: Commerce/Trade: Specialty store Owner Type: Private Main Building Foundation: Stone Wall: Stone Period of Significance: 1849-1948 Area of Significance: Commerce and Architecture Arch/Builder: Thomas Anscomb Date Built: 1849

3. Thomas W. Hacker Block

This two-story, double-front business block was built in 1886 and 1890, and was later combined into one storefront. Rochester merchant Thomas W. Hacker built the south half of the structure in 1886 to house his grocery and meat market. In 1890, when the Burr blocks to the north were under construction, Hacker decided to tear down a small frame building on the lot north of his new store and build another store to fill in the lot between his building and the Burr block. The two storefronts were part of the neighboring Mitzelfeld department store for many years, and after Mitzelfeld's closed, the Hacker double store was combined into one location to accommodate a restaurant.

4. Frank H. Burr Block

This business block, comprising two retail storefronts at 336 and 334 South Main, was built in 1890 by Frank H. Burr. Frank H. Burr was the brother of two other well-known Rochester businessmen, and all three men left lasting marks on Main Street. Frank's brother, Charles A. Burr, built the opera house block and was also part of the group that built the State Savings Bank building at 408-410 S. Main in 1907. Another brother, George Burr, was a hardware and implement dealer whose building at 429 S. Main still bears his name.

5. Rochester Opera House Block

The Rochester Opera House block is a Richardsonian-style business block built in 1890 by local businessman Charles A. Burr. The first floor of the building has housed a pharmacy continuously since the building opened. The second floor of the building housed the Rochester Opera House, a space devoted to theatrical performances, concerts, public meetings, graduation ceremonies, and lectures. The Opera House block is significant as a local example of Richardsonian architecture, and for its connection to Rochester's social and commercial history. The building underwent exterior restoration in 1987-89 and was listed on the Michigan Register of Historic Sites in 1990.

6. Rochester Masonic Block

The Rochester Masonic Block was designed in 1899 by well-known Pontiac architect Edward R. Prall. It is a two-story, flat-roofed, Romanesque Revival style building of light tan rock-faced sandstone trimmed in limestone and light brick. The flanking side and rear facades are brick with sandstone trim. The second story features segmentally arched and round arch windows accented by cartouches, and is delineated by round, rock-faced sandstone piers. The words "Masonic Temple" and "1899" appear in stenciled stonework at the parapet.

7. Louis Eugene Palmer Block

Originally built by Louis E. Palmer in 1896-97 to house his jewelry business, this building was later remodeled with a faux-Colonial front. In later years, the front sported plain siding, which completely covered the six windows and architectural details that once adorned it. A historic restoration of the original storefront was completed in 2010; John Dziurman was the architect of the project.

8. 1883 Louis Eugene Palmer Block

This double storefront was built in 1883 for jeweler Louis Eugene Palmer. He would later expand his holdings to the north until they encompassed all of the addresses from 405 through 417 S. Main. This building is now the oldest surviving structure on the west side of Main Street between Fourth Street and University Drive. Palmer's jewelry business was located in the building until 1897, when his new building—and the last that he built—opened at 415-417 S. Main.

9. Charles Henry Allen Building

Charles Henry Allen of Pontiac built this modest commercial building on Main Street, Rochester, to house his saloon in 1899. He operated the saloon for four years, before selling out to Bert McCafferty in 1904. McCafferty operated the saloon for a time, and then a drug store. The building has housed a variety of retail outlets since.

10. Morse Block

The Lorenzo D. Morse Block is one of the oldest commercial blocks on Rochester's Main Street, second only to the Rollin Sprague stone store. It was built in 1880-81 for Lorenzo Morse, and has largely been occupied by drug stores and clothing/dry goods stores for most of its existence. It is representative of a change that Rochester's downtown retail district was making in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, from simple wood-frame structures to business blocks built of brick and stone. The iconic block was "modernized" in 1973, when the metal awnings were added to the front of the building.

11. W. Harvey Greene Building

Furniture dealer and undertaker W. Harvey Greene built this store in 1883 to house his undertaking parlor and furniture warehouse. The building housed a combination furniture and undertaking business under various owners for the first forty years of its existence. Covered in the 1960s by a faux-Chalet exterior, the building was restored to its 1918 appearance in 1997, using award-winning plans drawn by architect John Dziurman.

12. Burnett A. Horvitz Building

The Burnett A. Horvitz Building is a good example of a modest, early twentieth-century commercial building. The building has remained in commercial use throughout its entire history and housed a variety of dry goods and grocery stores for its first seven decades. The building was completed in 1889 as the home of the Burnett Horvitz dry goods store, and then housed several small markets before becoming the home of Sutton’s Market from 1934 to 1961.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Nineteenth-Century Commercial Architecture of Rochester, Michigan

Created by Rochester-Avon Historical Society on November 23rd 2020, 7:15:24 pm.

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Description

Rochester's downtown business district contains multiple surviving examples of nineteenth-century commercial architecture. The oldest surviving example is the Rollin Sprague/Old Stone Store, built of coursed cobblestone in 1849 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The last building erected in the business district in the nineteenth century was the Masonic Block at Fourth and Main, designed by Pontiac architect E.R. Prall in 1899 and registered as a Michigan Historic Site.

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Nineteenth-Century Commercial Architecture of Rochester, Michigan

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