National Register of Historic Places

Desenberg Building

Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Listed
August 12, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79001158

About this property

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. In 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. The 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.

Location

251 E. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
42.29241, -85.58080

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Haymarket Historic District
Listed
0 mi
Haymarket Historic District (Boundary Increase II)
Listed
0.1 mi
Rickman Hotel
Industrial
0.2 mi
Upjohn Company Office Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Lawrence and Chapin Building
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Desenberg Building listed on the National Register?

Desenberg Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 12, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Desenberg Building?

Desenberg Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Desenberg Building?

The period of significance for Desenberg Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Desenberg Building?

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