Are you considering traveling to the Upper Peninsula this summer? This month we explore some of the more unique architectural buildings and historical areas located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that reinforce MAF’s mission of “Advancing awareness of how architecture enriches life.” If you are planning a trip to the Upper Peninsula, please consider some of the following options to learn more about Michigan Architecture:
Quincy Mining Co. Historic District: Hancock Vicinity
The Quincy Copper Mining Company, one of some 400 mining operations along the Keweenaw Peninsula at the height of Michigan’s late 19th-and-early 20th-century copper boom, was known as Old Reliable for its more than half century of steady output. (Quincy Mining Co. Historic District is spotlighted in this month’s MAF Must See Michigan Architecture article).
Quincy Unit – Keweenaw National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Historic Houghton:
On your way to or from Hancock, visit Houghton and enjoy the six-block historic Sheldon Avenue with coffee shops, restaurants, sporting goods stores and gift shops. Wander one block north to see the new public plaza and pier, adjacent to the historic railroad depot. The Portage Lake lift bridge is a 62-year-old span between Houghton and Hancock.
Shelden Avenue | SAH ARCHIPEDIA (sah-archipedia.org)
Visit Houghton, MI – and the Michigan Upper Peninsula and Keweenaw Peninsula
Houghton County Courthouse: Houghton
This fanciful Gothic-inspired edifice looks almost too playful for the serious business of jails and courts. Located high on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake, the courthouse features a mansard roof covered in beautifully weathered copper from local mines. The picturesque tower, the roof dormers and a variety of trimming add to the historic medley.
Houghton County Courthouse – Wikipedia
Houghton County Courthouse — Copper Country Architects (mtu.edu)
Houghton County Courthouse | SAH ARCHIPEDIA (sah-archipedia.org)
Calumet Historic District:
The Calumet Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District that encompasses most of the village of Calumet, Michigan. The district was designated in 1989 for the community’s importance in the history of the region’s copper mining industry. Although it has seen many changes over the years, Calumet’s downtown area still retains much of its historic appearance and feeling. In addition, the entire downtown area is included within the boundaries of Keweenaw National Historical Park, established in 1992.
Calumet Historic District – Wikipedia
Keweenaw National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Calumet Visitor Center – Keweenaw National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Calumet Village Hall & Theater: Calumet
Built in two stages, first a village hall followed in a few years by the much larger opera house, each designed by different architects, the Calumet Village Hall & Theater remains an Upper Peninsula glory. The gorgeous theater inside, which now seats 700, is a marvel that serves as a cultural and social anchor for its community.
Keweenaw County Courthouse: Eagle River
This dignified seat of criminal justice began as a simpler building but in 1925 was revised into the classical form we see today. It has the look of a traditional New England meeting house. When even a small rural community in the far reaches of the Upper Peninsula creates so lofty a work, it testifies to the civic pride, architectural ambition, and craftsmanship found throughout Michigan.
Keweenaw County Courthouse and Sheriff’s Residence and Jail | SAH ARCHIPEDIA (sah-archipedia.org)
Keweenaw County – American Courthouses
Iron County Courthouse:
Located on a commanding bluff offering panoramic views, the majestic Iron County Courthouse is among the most notable structures of northern Michigan. Architect J.C. Clancy worked in the Romanesque Revival style favored at that time for many civic buildings. Victorian-era Americans often expressed civic pride through their architecture, but seldom did they produce an example so grand.
Iron County Courthouse – City of Crystal Falls, Michigan
Iron County Courthouse (Michigan) – Wikipedia
Iron County Courthouse | SAH ARCHIPEDIA (sah-archipedia.org)
Marquette County Courthouse: Marquette
This impressive courthouse on a bluff sloping down to Lake Superior tells two stories, really. One is of the willingness of turn-of-the-century citizens to tax themselves to build this monument to civic order and justice. The other is of how American architecture so often mixes and matches styles and materials in a delightfully original way. Here, a building with clear classical roots is clad in North County red sandstone; the cornice is copper; the massive red granite columns came from Maine; and the interior sports Italian marble. Fans of the movie Anatomy of a Murder may spot the courthouse in a few scenes.
Marquette County Courthouse – Wikipedia
Marquette County Courthouse | SAH ARCHIPEDIA (sah-archipedia.org)
Fayette Iron Works: Fayette
Fayette’s charcoal kilns, storage buildings and other purely functional structures prove that industry stripped to its essence can produce a beauty all its own. Unselfconsciously beautiful, the iron works evoke ancient Indian runs or medieval castles. In historical fact, this town site once boasted one of the Upper Peninsula’s most productive iron-smelting centers. It is located on the Garden Peninsula at Snail Shell Harbor.
The history of Fayette, Michigan, yesterday’s boom town | Visit Escanaba