Richland Historic District

About this property

The Richland Historic District is a commercial and residential historic district located in the center of Richland, Michigan, containing structures near the intersection of 32nd Street, D Avenue, and Gull Road (including those on Church, Park, and Railroad Streets). The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. In 1830, a group of white settlers arrived to farm the area that was then known as "Gull Prairie". In 1832 and 1833, small settlements were platted to the north and south of what is now Richland. Neither attracted many inhabitants, but instead newcomers settled along the crossroads in between. A small public square at the corner was platted out, and in use as a public gathering place by the mid-1830s. The first church building was constructed in 1834, with the first school building following in 1837, and the settlement served as the center of a primarily agricultural community for many decades. Richland was incorporated in 1871, and in 1883 the Michigan and Ohio Railroad built a line through the village. Richland then served as a small transportation hub for agricultural products, and slowly grew in size through the latter part of the 19th century. However, the expansion of the village took place almost exclusively along the main roads (32nd Street, D Avenue, and Gull Road), maintaining the pattern of streets established in the 1830s. The town center represented by this district was substantially built out by the 1910s, with little later infill. The Richland Historic District is an unplatted agricultural community centered around a village square. The community retains its historic street pattern. Commercial and community buildings are located near the square, with residential structures on the outlying streets. There are 66 structures within the district that contribute to its historic character, the majority of which were built between 1860 and 1900. Nearly all are wood frame structures, and are vernacular representations of local styles. Most of the structures are residential; the district additionally includes two churches, two schools, an Oddfellows Hall, a library, and a bank building. Additional commercial structures in Richland are either modern or significantly altered, and do not contribute to the historic character of the district. Uriah & Maria Upjohn House (7799 N. 32nd St. ) Constructed in 1852 and 1859, this is a two-story Italianate structure with a hipped roof, coupled to a 1+1⁄2-story gable front Greek Revival rear all covered with wooden clapboards. Uriah Upjohn was a pioneering physician whose sons founded the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company in 1885.

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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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