Marine City Water Works
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Marine City Water Works | |
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| Location | 229 S. Main St., Marine City, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°43′3″N 82°29′36″W / 42.71750°N 82.49333°W |
| Area | .91 acres (0.37 ha) |
| Built | 1935 |
| Built by | Bass Engineering and Construction Company |
| Architect | Pate & Hirn Engineers |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 11000667[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 15, 2011 |
The Marine City Water Works is a public works building located at 229 South Main Street in Marine City, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.[1]
What is now Marine City was laid out in 1820 by Captain Samuel Ward, a shipbuilder from Vermont. During the next 25 years, over 30 shipyards were established in the area. These, and the discovery of salt deposits in 1882, led to a substantial growth in Marine City. The influx of residents in the 1870s and 1880s led to concerns over public health, and Marine City's first public water works system was constructed in 1885.[2]
However, by the late 1920s, the 1885 facility was clearly no longer adequate at supplying clean water to the community. However, three special elections to raise money for a new facility all were defeated. A sharp increase in water-borne disease, including typhoid fever, in the area led the Michigan State Health Department to mandate a new treatment facility be constructed. In 1935, the city applied to the Public Works Administration for a $45,000 grant to cover 45% of the cost of the new facility. The grant was approved, and voters approved the raising of the remaining funds soon thereafter. The city hired Pate & Hirn Engineers of Detroit to prepare plans for the new facility, and the Bass Engineering & Construction Company to build the plant. Construction began in December 1935, and was completed in August 1936.[2]
An addition was constructed in 1968, and substantial rehabilitation was done in 2005.[2]
