National Register of Historic Places

Vine Area Historic District

Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Listed
August 15, 1983
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
83000875

About this property

The Vine Area Historic District is a primarily residential historic district, roughly bounded by South Rose, South Westnedge, West Walnut, and Ranney Streets in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In the 1840s, what is now the Vine Area Historic District was part of a large farm owned by Michigan governor Epaphroditus Ransom. Ransom sold this tract of land to Paulus DenBleyker, a recently arrived Dutch immigrant, in the early 1850s. DenBleyker platted the land into streets and lots, many of which he sold to his fellow Dutch immigrants. In the 1860s and 70s, the neighborhood became the home of middle-class merchants and professionals. It remained thinly settled until the 1880s, when a street railway line was built into the area. Development jumped in the late 1880s, 1890s, and early 1900s, and by 1920 the neighborhood was essentially built out. Significant early residents of the neighborhood include pioneer druggist James P. Clapham, furniture dealer Edwin A. Carder, brickmaker R. Dexter Walker, and lawyer and politician William M. Stearns. In later years, many of the houses were turned into rental units or split into apartments. The Vine Area Historic District contains 175 structures, covering six or seven square blocks of tree-lined streets. The great majority of the structures are single-family homes, with only five non-residential structures, including the Grace Christian Reformed Church and the large, Neo-Tudor-style Old Central High School. The district contains a high concentration of Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival houses. Presentations on the Vine Area Historic District from the Kalamazoo Public Library

Location

Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
42.28516, -85.58623

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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Everything a full report reveals about Vine Area Historic District

This page lists Vine Area Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
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
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Welsh, William L., Terrace
Industrial
0.2 mi
Rose Place Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Old Central High School
Civil War
0.2 mi
Gilbert, Henry, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Ladies Library Association Building
Industrial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Vine Area Historic District listed on the National Register?

Vine Area Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Vine Area Historic District?

Vine Area Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Vine Area Historic District?

The period of significance for Vine Area Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Vine Area Historic District?

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