Historic Preservation and the Village of Northville

Endangered buildings - North Main Street

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Endangered Properties are historic and architectural landmarks that are in danger of being lost if something is not done soon. Since the Village of Northville lacks the legal basis for restraining demolition for reasons other than public health and safety, almost any Village structure, regardless of past significance, can be here today and gone tomorrow. The recent demolition of the Hubbell Chimney comes to mind. A lack of regulatory oversight also makes it difficult to preserve the overall architectural integrity of a streetscape such as North Main Street. A facade plan that has more than just token support from all current Main Street property owners would be a good first step in encouraging preservation efforts. It would also help to attract badly needed private revitalization funding.

There are at least four major Main Street structures that should be considered endangered: the Hard Pan Store/Star Theatre/Kitchenette, the former Northville Hotel, the former NBT Bank and, to a lesser extent, the Franklin Wright building. In general, if a building cannot earn its upkeep for an extended time period, it is at risk. All four of these buildings are under-utilized and have not seen major capital improvements in many years.

The Hard Pan Store/Star Theatre
This 2 1/2-story wood post and beam structure was built between 1850 and 1870 as a general store. The north end was adapted in 1917 as a theatre - closed in 1969. The building is in poor condition - structurally, interior and infrastructure. Restoration of the north (theatre) end likely amounts to near-replacement of that part of the building. Ideally, this building would have an adaptive re-use that takes advantage of its its lakeside location by opening it up on the east (lake) side. A small dinner theatre would do justice to both history and location. The building currently houses two seasonal retail venues facing Main Street. Most of the former theatre part of the building is unused. The second floor of the south side is used for storage.

The Bank
This 3-story brick building was built in 1895. It is in fairly good condition. The first floor has the original vault. This poses both a challenge and an opportunity for adaptive re-use. The two upper floors have large windows that are now boarded up. By improving public access - perhaps with an elevator shaft on the rear of the building- both floors could be adapted to residential use or as a performance space. The building has been vacant for several years. It has always been a bank and has had no major interior changes. This building is especially important to Main Street since it anchors the northeast end of what little remains of historic North Main. More info.

The Hotel
This 3 1/2-story structure was built in 1813. The front facade was rebuilt and changed in 1899 after a major fire. The building has been adapted several times for different commercial and professional uses. Some odd changes to the roof structure were made at some point in time. The building requires major foundation work, interior repartitioning and removal of add-ons, including a freight elevator. There has been no maintenance over the past 15 years. The roof and porches have started to fail. At this point, realistically speaking, the property value approximates the value of the land minus the building demolition cost. The loading dock behind the hotel - built in the 1960's - needs to be demolished to create open space around a restored building. More info

The Franklin Wright Building This 2-story Victorian style masonry building originates from 1890/4. It had two side-by-side commercial establishments on the first floor and a medical office (Dr Franklin Wright) on the second. The building has some fire damage and requires structural stabilization. The first floor is currently used by a local arts organization. The second floor could be adapted for residential use at considerable expense and with improved public access. As with the other buildings, residential use of the upper floor is difficult without a Main Street sewer district. Visual polution from utility cables does not help.