Niles DDA Main Street District
Niles, Michigan 49120 ~ Downtown in Motion
Historic Attractions
June 2007, downtown Niles properties on Sycamore, Main and Cedar Streets between Front and 5th were listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
District Properties with Historic Significance
-Chapin Mansion & Carriage House/ Niles City Hall & Fort St. Joseph Museum ~ 508 E Main Street - Located at 5th and Main Streets, the old Chapin Mansion is the current Niles City Hall and is a very fine example of Victorian Queen Anne Architecture. It is known for the stained glass window panels and hand carved woodwork. Built in 1884, the mansion features an ornate chandelier that is both electric and gas. The building may be visited during normal business hours, and tours can be arranged in advanced. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2VJK
Directly behind the Chapin Mansion is the Carriage House which is home to the Ft. St. Joseph Museum. Exhibits and artifacts include those from the Native American, French and English period of Four Flags history, including many items from the old Fort St. Joseph, pictographs by Chief Sitting Bull. The Museum is open Wednesday thru Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm http://www.roadmuseums.com/museum/Michigan/Niles/property_5353/museum.html
-Four Flags Hotel ~ 404 E Main Street - At the corner of 4th and Main Streets in Niles, this hotel was built in 1925 at a cost of $350,000 and was considered the most modern in Southwestern Michigan. It's reputed to have hosted Al Capone, Eleanor Roosevelt, Knute Rockne, and Truman Capote. It was the first business to adopt the name "Four Flags" and served as the cultural center of Niles for most of the 20th Century. The hotel is open daily and tours may be arranged with advance requests. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~thekingbug/four_flags_hotel.htm
-Amtrak Train Depot ~ 598 Dey Street - Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot Built in 1892. This Property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places http://user.mc.net/~louisvw/depot/niles/niles.htm
-Trinity Church ~9 South 4th Street -This is the oldest existing church structure in Niles, located in the oldest Episcopal parish in the Diocese of Western Michigan. The first Episcopal service in Niles was conducted by Bishop Philander Chase in 1832. The parish was organized in 1834. In that year there were 14 houses in Niles. The first edifice, of frame construction, was built on this site in 1836 under the direction of Rev. James Selkrig, the first rector. The present church was completed in 1858. On May 7, 1876, the Rev. Robert McMurdy presented 308 persons for confirmation. This is said to have been one of the largest such classes in American church http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM25P7
-Former site of Fort St. Joseph ~ Riverfront Park - At the corner of Bond and Fort Street in Niles is the huge boulder that marks the site of the old Fort St. Joseph. The seven ton boulder was moved in 1912 from a nearby farm largely financed by nickels from school children. A historical marker recounts the history of the fort from 1691 to 1781. Fort St. Joseph was important in the early fur trade, and settlement of the surrounding area. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3904/is_200310/ai_n9262405 http://www.nwta.com/couriers/3-96/StJo.html
www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/
Other Sites of Historic Significance in and around Niles
Ring Lardner House- 519 Bond Street ~ Ring Lardner, writer, was a humorist and sardonic observer of the American scene. Currently a private residence. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM25NY http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall99/Bembrey/ring.html
St. Mary's Catholic Church - 219 South State Street ~ The Roman Catholic Church in Niles traces its origin to the Indian Mission established at nearby Fort St. Joseph in the late 1600's.
Father Claude Allouez Grave Site - Across Bond and just north of the Fort ~ Father Claude Allouez was the first "black robe" to arrive in Niles to teach and convert the natives.
District Properties with Historic Significance
-Chapin Mansion & Carriage House/ Niles City Hall & Fort St. Joseph Museum ~ 508 E Main Street - Located at 5th and Main Streets, the old Chapin Mansion is the current Niles City Hall and is a very fine example of Victorian Queen Anne Architecture. It is known for the stained glass window panels and hand carved woodwork. Built in 1884, the mansion features an ornate chandelier that is both electric and gas. The building may be visited during normal business hours, and tours can be arranged in advanced. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2VJK
Directly behind the Chapin Mansion is the Carriage House which is home to the Ft. St. Joseph Museum. Exhibits and artifacts include those from the Native American, French and English period of Four Flags history, including many items from the old Fort St. Joseph, pictographs by Chief Sitting Bull. The Museum is open Wednesday thru Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm http://www.roadmuseums.com/museum/Michigan/Niles/property_5353/museum.html
-Four Flags Hotel ~ 404 E Main Street - At the corner of 4th and Main Streets in Niles, this hotel was built in 1925 at a cost of $350,000 and was considered the most modern in Southwestern Michigan. It's reputed to have hosted Al Capone, Eleanor Roosevelt, Knute Rockne, and Truman Capote. It was the first business to adopt the name "Four Flags" and served as the cultural center of Niles for most of the 20th Century. The hotel is open daily and tours may be arranged with advance requests. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~thekingbug/four_flags_hotel.htm
-Amtrak Train Depot ~ 598 Dey Street - Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot Built in 1892. This Property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places http://user.mc.net/~louisvw/depot/niles/niles.htm
-Trinity Church ~9 South 4th Street -This is the oldest existing church structure in Niles, located in the oldest Episcopal parish in the Diocese of Western Michigan. The first Episcopal service in Niles was conducted by Bishop Philander Chase in 1832. The parish was organized in 1834. In that year there were 14 houses in Niles. The first edifice, of frame construction, was built on this site in 1836 under the direction of Rev. James Selkrig, the first rector. The present church was completed in 1858. On May 7, 1876, the Rev. Robert McMurdy presented 308 persons for confirmation. This is said to have been one of the largest such classes in American church http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM25P7
-Former site of Fort St. Joseph ~ Riverfront Park - At the corner of Bond and Fort Street in Niles is the huge boulder that marks the site of the old Fort St. Joseph. The seven ton boulder was moved in 1912 from a nearby farm largely financed by nickels from school children. A historical marker recounts the history of the fort from 1691 to 1781. Fort St. Joseph was important in the early fur trade, and settlement of the surrounding area. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3904/is_200310/ai_n9262405 http://www.nwta.com/couriers/3-96/StJo.html
www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/
Other Sites of Historic Significance in and around Niles
Ring Lardner House- 519 Bond Street ~ Ring Lardner, writer, was a humorist and sardonic observer of the American scene. Currently a private residence. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM25NY http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall99/Bembrey/ring.html
St. Mary's Catholic Church - 219 South State Street ~ The Roman Catholic Church in Niles traces its origin to the Indian Mission established at nearby Fort St. Joseph in the late 1600's.
Father Claude Allouez Grave Site - Across Bond and just north of the Fort ~ Father Claude Allouez was the first "black robe" to arrive in Niles to teach and convert the natives.
