Platial | Who and What's Nearby
Platial | Who and What's Nearby
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Description:
This building (shown in the monochrome photo circa 1910, and the color one as it stands in 2007) originally served as a 'cold storage' facility for Frank P. VanBuren's egg and grocery business. Mr VanBuren (yes, that photo is his portrait) bought eggs and produce from the area farmers, and sold them throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Conveniently located near the railroad, and yet close to the river, this building was in an ideal location both for transport of the produce and eggs to markets, and for ease of obtaining the ice necessary to preserve them.
In the days before refrigeration, ice was cut from the Cedar River a few blocks north of this site, and hauled to this building where it was packed with straw. The thick (two-three feet thick!) horse-hair insulated walls and straw insulation would keep the ice well into the summer, allowing preservation of perishable goods like eggs and fresh groceries. Ice was also sold from this facility for use in the community.
The City of Willaimston's TIFA recently purchased this building to help preserve an architecturally unique building, and intends to rehabilitate it, and begin using it for an appropriate purpose consistent with its history, and the community needs. (Discussions have run from an art exhibition area, to a multi-modal transportation center, to a folk music venue -- we're still looking for ideas and nothing has been firmly decided!)
A close look at this building reveals that the trite 'they don't build them like this anymore' is incorrect in this case: They never built them like this! Note the interior shot showing the load bearing wall -- yes that is a yardsitck in the photo -- designed to hold ice loads sufficient to keep the interior of the building cold in the heat of Michigan summers.
Definitely a building worth saving!
This building (shown in the monochrome photo circa 1910, and the color one as it stands in 2007) originally served as a 'cold storage' facility for Frank P. VanBuren's egg and grocery business. Mr VanBuren (yes, that photo is his portrait) bought eggs and produce from the area farmers, and sold them throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Conveniently located near the railroad, and yet close to the river, this building was in an ideal location both for transport of the produce and eggs to markets, and for ease of obtaining the ice necessary to preserve them.
In the days before refrigeration, ice was cut from the Cedar River a few blocks north of this site, and hauled to this building where it was packed with straw. The thick (two-three feet thick!) horse-hair insulated walls and straw insulation would keep the ice well into the summer, allowing preservation of perishable goods like eggs and fresh groceries. Ice was also sold from this facility for use in the community.
The City of Willaimston's TIFA recently purchased this building to help preserve an architecturally unique building, and intends to rehabilitate it, and begin using it for an appropriate purpose consistent with its history, and the community needs. (Discussions have run from an art exhibition area, to a multi-modal transportation center, to a folk music venue -- we're still looking for ideas and nothing has been firmly decided!)
A close look at this building reveals that the trite 'they don't build them like this anymore' is incorrect in this case: They never built them like this! Note the interior shot showing the load bearing wall -- yes that is a yardsitck in the photo -- designed to hold ice loads sufficient to keep the interior of the building cold in the heat of Michigan summers.
Definitely a building worth saving!
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