Hart Downtown Historic District

About this property

The Hart Downtown Historic District is a commercial historic district in Hart, Michigan, United States. It is located along South State Street, and is roughly bounded by Main, Dryden, Water, and Lincoln Streets. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. The first European settlers came to what is now Hart Township in 1855-56; the township itself was established in 1860. Timber was an early industry, and the village of Hart began when Elbridge G. Farmer constructed a sawmill along the river in what is now Hart. The mill was purchased by Lyman B. Corbin and completed in 1862, and a boarding house built soon after. In 1864, the small settlement was chosen as the county seat of Oceana County. A post office was established that same year, and Corbin completed the first portion of the village. A general store was built in what is now the historic district in 1865, a hardware store in 1866, and the first county buildings were constructed in 1867-68. A church was added in 1869, as well as a school, and by 1873 the village population was about 600. This rapid growth went hand in hand with the establishment of other industries in the area – mostly lumber-related, such as planing mills and stave manufacture. By 1883, there were at least 40 businesses in downtown Hart. The first brick buildings were constructed about this time, and after a series of fires in the village, brick became the norm for building material. By 1900 brick blocks formed the majority of buildings in this district; five pre-1900 brick buildings exist today. Development continued in the district through the first part of the 20th century, with new brick structures replacing older buildings. Construction essentially halted during the Great Depression, although a new post office was built. After World War II, a number of fires destroyed earlier buildings. Newer Modern construction took their place. Several other buildings were modernized, changing the streetscape of Hart. The Hart Downtown Historic District encompasses the central business district of the city, which includes a series of closely set buildings along three blocks of State Street, with a few blocks on either side. Structures in the district are primarily commercial, but include single-family homes and government buildings as well. The buildings represent a range of construction dates, as later buildings were infilled after fires or demolition of earlier structures. There are 57 buildings included within the district boundary, of which 37 contribute to the historic character of the district, with the remaining 20 of later construction or having a significant loss of integrity. The buildings are predominantly one or two stories, and use a variety of construction materials, of which brick and block are most common. Architectural styles include Italianate, Art Moderne and Mid-Century Modern.

Location

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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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