Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District


The Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District is a historic district located in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, which includes six buildings along Randolph Street between Monroe and Macomb streets. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The collection of buildings are a rare surviving set of Detroit Victorian-era commercial structures. The Randolph Street Commercial Building Historic District joins the Broadway Avenue Historic District downtown.

History

Buildings along this section of Randolph Street have been used for retail since the area was first built up in the 1840s. The building at 1236-1244 Randolph was built during the period of original construction, and is a rare survivor from the 1840s. The Victorian styled Odd Fellows Building is located at the corner of Randolph and Monroe.
As the city grew, larger commercial buildings were required and the other structures on Randolph were constructed. The area remained a shopping district into the twentieth century.
Over the years, the street-level facades of the buildings in the district were altered numerous times, two structures had new top stories added, and a cornice removal program in the 1950s resulted in the loss of all the fine bracketed entablatures. However, the buildings still have their Victorian brickwork and metal window hoods.
Since construction of the buildings, structures in the district have housed numerous commercial enterprises, ranging from legal offices, to tailors to sculptors. In the early 1900s, the district was home primarily to dry goods and clothing establishments.

Description

In the Victorian era, this block featured seven adjacent buildings. The St. Claire Hotel, originally at the corner of Randolph and Monroe, was
demolished at some point before 1980; the building at 1224 Randolph was demolished in 1929 and replaced. The six buildings within the district when it was listed in 1980 are: