Main Street Historic District (Milan, Michigan)
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Main Street Historic District | |
 West end of district, looking east | |
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 Interactive map | |
| Location | 3-153 E. Main, 1-41 W. Main, and 8 Park Lane, Milan, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°5′5″N 83°41′1″W / 42.08472°N 83.68361°W |
| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1878 |
| Architect | William R. Smith, Ralph S. Gerganoff |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, International Style, Moderne[1] |
| NRHP reference No. | 99000434[2] |
| Added to NRHP | April 14, 1999 |
The Main Street Historic District is a commercial historic district that includes structures located at 3-153 East Main Street, 1-41 West Main Street, and 8 Park Lane in Milan, Michigan. Although within Milan, the district spans the county line between Washtenaw County, Michigan and Monroe County, Michigan, containing structures within both counties.[3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[2]
Milan was first settled in 1830, located at a point on the Saline River and on the Monroe-Saline plank road.[3] A toll booth was placed on the plank road, collecting tolls that were used for road maintenance. As commerce flowed along the plank road, Milan quickly grew. A post office was established in 1833, a saw mill and flour mill (later incorporated into Henry Ford's village industries)) a few years later, and the first school opened in 1837. One of the first stores built in the downtown commercial district was the Ellis Building, constructed in 1845 by Elijah Ellis.[4] Major fires in the commercial district destroyed buildings in 1891 and 1893.[5]
