| Goodyear Block | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
 Goodyear Block | |
  Show map of Michigan Show map of the United States | |
| Location | 138 E. Main St., Manchester, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°9′0″N 84°2′21″W / 42.15000°N 84.03917°W / 42.15000; -84.03917 |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built by | Chauncey Walbridge |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 93000770 |
| Added to NRHP | August 5, 1993 |
The Goodyear Block, also known as the Arbeiter Block is a commercial building located at 138 E. Main Street in Manchester, Michigan, US. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
History
The Goodyear Block was built in 1867 by Chauncey Walbridge for Henry Goodyear. The two first-floor retail spaces were let out a hardware store operated by Miller & Webb, and a dry goods store operated by the Wastell Brothers. The offices on the second floor were let out to numerous businesses, including the Manchester Enterprise newspaper. The third-floor auditorium of the building was used for dances, plays, commencements, and concerts, all of which contributed to making downtown Manchester the social center of the area. Goodyear, however, fell on hard times, lost control of his building, and moved to Nebraska. In 1894, Goodyear's creditors sold the building to the Arbeiter Society (or "Arbeiter Verein"), a German club. They ran it for 50 years; the hall was used as a classroom in the 1930s. The building was later used by the American Legion, and eventually abandoned. In 1977, it became the home of the Black Sheep Repertory Theater. The building was rehabilitated in 1990, and the top floors turned into apartments.
Description
The Goodyear Block is a rectangular three-story Italianate commercial building constructed of red brick on a fieldstone foundation. The building is seven bays wide, with the central bay enclosing a staircase to the upper floors and the surrounding two sets of three bays each containing a storefront. The first-floor facade has large display windows flanked by cast-iron columns; the appearance the first floor is the result of the 1990 restoration, but is similar to the original building construction. The front facade also features round headed windows capped with a keystone, and is surmounted by a wooden cornice. Inside, the first floor is commercial space, the second floor is office space, and the third floor is given over to the auditorium.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Washtenaw County - Historic Preservation Program: Department of Planning and Environment (May 11, 2006), Historic District Study Committee Report - "Manchester Historic District: Exchange Place" - PRELIMINARY REPORT (PDF), Washtenaw County, Michigan
- ^ "Goodyear Block". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Marie A. Schneider; Manchester Centennial Committee (1967), Manchester's first hundred years, 1867-1967, Manchester Centennial Committee
- ^ "The Goodyear Block is being considered for Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places" (PDF). Manchester Enterprise. April 1, 1993.
- "The Olio Curtain-Part One" (PDF). Circa Manchester. Vol. 25, no. 1. Manchester Area Historical Society. February 2009.
- ^ Nina C.R. Henry; Robert Passey (1980), Ann Arbor annotated: a comprehensive guidebook, p. 38
