National Register of Historic Places

Fairgrove Avenue Historic District

Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan
Listed
January 31, 1985
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
85000166

About this property

The Fairgrove Avenue Historic District is a residential historic district located along Fairgrove Avenue, between North Saginaw and Edison Streets, in Pontiac, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Pontiac was founded in 1818, and residential development soon spread west and north of the downtown area. The portion of the city that is now this district was originally owned by the Oakland County Agricultural Society, and used as a fairground, with the county fair held at this location starting in 1850. The fairgrounds was used to train and muster troops during the Civil War. In 1895, The Agricultural Society purchased another section of land, and platted the older fairgrounds for residential development, creating, among others, Fairgrove Avenue. By 1904, nearly three-quarters of this district along Fairgrove had been developed, and by 1920 development was complete. The original residents of the district were solidly middle class, and included merchants, ministers, doctors, lawyers, shop foremen, clerks, and salesmen. One of the most prominent early residents was Dr. Harry C. Quillot, Mayor of Pontiac from 1901 to 1905. Other residents included Dr. Leon F. Cobb, attorney George Armstrong Cram, Judge Kleber P. Rockwell, and Reverend Eugene A. Barlett. The Fairgrove Avenue Historic District is a single block long, containing 28 turn-of-the-century middle-class homes on relatively small lots. The street is lined with shade trees, and the block is completely full save for one vacant lot where a fire damaged house was demolished. The district also includes a stone marker on the corner of Fairgrove and N. Saginaw that commemorates the Civil War use of the fairground. Most of the houses were constructed between 1895 and 1920, with the majority constructed before 1910. Architectural styles of the structures range from Colonial Revival to Queen Anne. The houses are all 2-1/2 stories, and uniform in scale and setback, and almost all have large front porches. Nearly all are single-family homes, with the exception of two duplexes in the neighborhood, and a few structures that have been converted into apartments. National Register of Historic Places listings in Oakland County, Michigan

Location

Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan
42.64438, -83.29303

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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Finds & Access
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Nearby Historic Sites

Howard, Horatio N., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Oak Hill Cemetery
Listed
0.4 mi
Pontiac Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.4 mi
Eagle Theater
Industrial
0.5 mi
Pontiac Commercial Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Fairgrove Avenue Historic District listed on the National Register?

Fairgrove Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 31, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Fairgrove Avenue Historic District?

Fairgrove Avenue Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Fairgrove Avenue Historic District?

The period of significance for Fairgrove Avenue Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Fairgrove Avenue Historic District?

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