National Register of Historic Places

Mineral Well Park

Petoskey, Emmet County, Michigan
Listed
March 25, 1987
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
86002036

About this property

Mineral Well Park is a park located on the east side of the Bear River at West Lake Street in Petoskey, Michigan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. In 1888, mineral waters were discovered in Petoskey. Two years later, Frank S. Kedzie of Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University) declared that Petoskey's waters were the best in the state for bathing and drinking. Capitalizing on the appeal of the waters, a bathhouse and pavilion were constructed on this site, under a lease from the city of Petoskey. There is no visible trace of these 19th-century structures at the site, but foundations may remain underground. The lease ended in 1908, and in 1914-16 the city redeveloped the park with a series of improvements, many donated by the Federation of Women's Clubs of Petoskey and other private individuals. These improvements included a fish pond, concrete paths, and benches. Also included was the 1915 park pavilion designed by local architect C. H. Hansen. The fish pond has been filled in, but the majority of the other improvements made in 1914-16 remain in the park. Mineral Well Park is a two-acre section located on the east side of the Bear River, and running from the West Mitchell Street Bridge north to West Lake Street. The park is a level section of grassland with a few large trees and shrubs. It contains cement pathways leading to the park pavilion. Grouped around the pavilion are the low, capped, cylindrical, fieldstone wells from which the park takes its name, and a retaining wall surrounding the former fish pond, which contains a bronze fountain in its center. The fish pond has been filled in and now contains plantings. The pavilion, designed by C. H. Hansen, is a single-story, open air, cross-gable-roof structure. Concrete urn balustrades encircle the pavilion, and link podia topped with short Tuscan columns. The columns support the entablature and roof.

Location

Petoskey, Emmet County, Michigan
45.37532, -84.96036

Categories

ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION
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

Schapler, Frank, House
Industrial
0 mi
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Station
Industrial
0.1 mi
Petoskey Public Works Utility Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
West Mitchell Street Bridge
Industrial
0.1 mi
Wells, J. M., House
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Mineral Well Park listed on the National Register?

Mineral Well Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Mineral Well Park?

Mineral Well Park is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Mineral Well Park?

The period of significance for Mineral Well Park is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Mineral Well Park?

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