The category “buildings that no longer exist in Kalamazoo” is one that does not seem to run out of possible entries. There are so many possibilities that a book, Kalamazoo Lost and Found, co-authored by Pamela O’Connor and me, was written about many of them. Even though these structures are no longer here, they live on in photographs, and in some cases pieces and parts of the buildings are still around. Whether they were built for public or commercial purposes, large or small, of classical or modern design, they all played a role in this community at some time and continue to be remembered by those who worked in them, just passed by them or got to witness their demolition. Here are five more of my favorite lost buildings:
Hanselman Building
Northwest corner of West Michigan Avenue and North Burdick Street
The Hanselman Building, completed in 1913, was named for its owner, George Hanselman, and was the tallest building in Kalamazoo for 60 years. It was designed by the Detroit architectural firm of Spiers, Rohs and Gehrke, which also designed Kalamazoo’s former Masonic Temple on North Rose Street. The Hanselman Building contained two floors of retail establishments and eight floors of offices housing lawyers, doctors, dentists and other professionals. The building was made of steel-reinforced concrete, and its construction took eight months to complete, with reports that the concrete floors were so strong the Michigan Central Railroad could travel across them. Even though it was almost fully occupied in the early ’70s, the building was purchased by the city of Kalamazoo to make way for the new Kalamazoo Center (now the Radisson Plaza Hotel). On Dec. 30, 1973, many residents witnessed the implosion of the Hanselman Building.
Federal Building
Southwest corner of South Burdick and West South streets
This impressive Richardsonian Romanesque structure completed in 1892 housed both the U.S. Post Office and the Federal District Court. The building, which opened on Feb. 14 that year with very little fanfare, provided adequate spaces for the employees and patrons. Only one known photograph of the interior exists, but descriptions of it make it sound grand, especially its lobby, decorated with Vermont marble and Italian granite. The rounded tower on one corner was called the building’s “crowning glory.” The building was added on to twice, but demand for more space led to the construction on West Michigan Avenue of a new federal building, which opened in 1939 and the former federal building came down in 1940. The current building on the site, now offering housing and commercial space, originally had been a J.C. Penney store, built in 1955.
Michigan State Armory
South side of East Water Street between North Edwards and North Burdick streets
Our community’s first National Guard, the Kalamazoo Light Guard, was formed in 1856, a few years before the Civil War. The guard was housed in several different locations in downtown Kalamazoo until this structure opened in 1913. Designed by local architect Charles Fairchild, the armory looked like a fortress, with its towers, crenellations and arched entrance typical of many armories in the United States. Along with space for the National Guard, the building became a site for concerts, performances, exhibitions and conventions. The National Guard moved to a new armory in Oshtemo Township in 1975, and this building came down three years later to make way for a parking lot. It is now the location of the Catalyst Center.
Central Fire Station
Northeast corner of South Burdick and East Lovell streets
When completed in 1907, the Central Fire Station had space for 14 men and nine horses. In addition to designing this structure, local architect Forrest VanVolkenburg also had a hand in designing three other neighborhood fire stations that still remain in the Vine, Eastside and Stuart neighborhoods. An example of Georgian-Colonial architecture, the Central Fire Station boasted columns, arched windows with keystones, and a pronounced railing at the roof with dentil molding below it. Replaced by motorized trucks, the horses were retired in 1916. The building continued to operate as a fire station until 1958, when operations moved to a new structure on West Cedar Street. The old station came down in 1959 for a new Jacobson’s Department Store, which opened the next year.
Upjohn Corporate Headquarters
7000 Portage Road, Portage
For many years in Kalamazoo County, the name “Taj Mahal” referred to more than the World Heritage site in India. It was also the nickname of the Upjohn Co.’s headquarters building that was completed in 1961. Designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the low-profile building held a variety of clerical and executive offices, support services and even mail-delivery robots. For many people, it was also known as Building 88. The Upjohn Co. merged with Pharmacia in 1995 to form Pharmacia & Upjohn, and the company’s headquarters moved to London. When Pfizer in 2002 took over what was by then called Pharmacia, Building 88’s fate was sealed, and it came down by the end of 2007. While some of the building’s marble can be found in use at Western Michigan University, the former headquarters site is currently a parking lot.
