Ithaca Downtown Historic District (Ithaca, Michigan)

The district includes 20 buildings, 18 of which were constructed in the 1875-1906 period.^[2][3] The buildings are predominantly red brick Late Victorian structures, and stand side-by-side in a single block along Center Street. The block is divided by a narrow alley running perpendicular to Center, separating each side of the street into two halves.

The largest commercial building in the district, the three-story, three-storefront J. Jeffery & Sons Block, stands at the southwest corner of Center and Main Streets. Three more commercial buildings stand next to the Jeffery Block, spanning the space to the alley. These three buildings exhibit interesting contrasting designs, with massive rockface fieldstone masonryon one, pointy stone "Gothic" incised window caps and a finial-capped metal cornice on another, and mixed red and yellow-buff brickwork on the third. On the north side of the street, a former gas station stands at the corner, followed by a row of two-story buildings, running west to the alley. These buildings exhibit a broad variety of architectural styles in 1890s commercial buildings, with different types and shapes of brick, brickwork piers, and brick paneling in various shapes. Many use terra cotta, and exhibit a variety of window shapes and sizes.^[2]

West of the alley on the south side is a 1988 building constructed in a style that complements its neighbors. Nearby is another Late Victorian three-storefront block, with an elaborate bracketed iron cornice. On the north side of the street, four buildings west of the alley retain a generally high degree of integrity. The first building is the oldest in the district, dating from 1875. It has Gothic-arch second-story windows with paneled brickwork, and retains its original iron storefront columns. Next door is a stone-front building with narrow windows.^[2]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ithaca Downtown Historic District (Ithaca, Michigan).

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  North side of Center Street
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  Center Street looking west