Pontiac Commercial Historic District

The original portion of the district designated in 1984 is located within a single block bounded by Saginaw, Lawrence, Pike, and Wayne Streets. The buildings are all commercial brick structures of two or three stories in height, fronting on the sidewalk. The eastern half of the block, fronting on Saginaw, was completely rebuilt some time after time 1840 fire and prior to 1865. Nearly all of these buildings, the oldest in the district, remain, running from 1 to 21 North Saginaw and interrupted only by a single non-contributing structure at 17 N. Saginaw. Many of the buildings were remodeled in the 1910s and 1920s, resulting in a breadth of architectural styles represented in the facades. Other buildings on the block, fronting on Lawrence and Pike, were originally constructed in the 1910s and 1920s.[3]

The buildings in the 1989 boundary increase were primarily constructed during Pontiac's boom years of 1900-1930, although the district does include some structures from the late 19th century. The buildings span a series of architectural styles, from a Second Empire and Late Victorian brick commercial buildings from the 19th century to Neo-Classical Revival, Renaissance Revival, Adamesque, Romanesque, Gothic Revival, and Art Deco buildings from the 20th. Significant structures in the district include:[3]

• Turk Building (71-75 North Saginaw): Built in 1900, this is one of the oldest buildings in the district of substantial size. It is a three-store-wide Romanesque building with corbelled brickwork.
• The Strand (Campus) Theatre (12-14 North Saginaw): No longer containing its original theater interior, the Strand still has its facade with delicate Adam ornamentation, including fluted pilasters dividing the facade into three parts.
• Post Office (now the Furlong Building) (35 East Huron): Built in 1910 from plans taken from the office of the Treasury architect, John Knox Taylor, the post office is a limestone building with a series of Ionic columns extending across the center of the facade.
• The Eagle Theatre (15 South Saginaw): A Moorish theater, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Grinnell Brothers Music House (27 South Saginaw): A somewhat Gothic structure, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Masonic Temple (1 Lafayette): A 1923 building of unique, Michigan-centric design, with double and triple-arch windows each set within a slightly recessed archways.