Rochester Grain Elevator
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Griggs Brothers-Rochester Elevator Company Grain Elevator | |
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| Location | 303 East University Drive, Rochester, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°40′55″N 83°7′54″W / 42.68194°N 83.13167°W |
| Area | 1.4 acres (0.57 ha) |
| Built | 1880 |
| Built by | John Ross |
| Architect | Charles Kelly Griggs |
| Architectural style | Gambrel roof elevator |
| NRHP reference No. | 10001028[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 13, 2010 |
The Rochester Grain Elevator, formerly the Griggs Brothers Grain Elevator, is a grain elevator located at 303 East University Drive in Rochester, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.[1]
The Detroit and Bay City Railroad first reached Rochester in 1872, and a local merchant immediately erected an elevator. In 1880, brothers Charles Kelley and Albert G. Griggs broke ground on this competing elevator. It was such a success that the brothers build a second elevator in 1884. In 1900, the Griggs sold the elevator to Erastus S. Letts, who sold it a few years later to Ferrin Brothers and Company, a large firm based in Rochester, New York. IN 1909, a group of local investors, including both Charles K. Griggs and Erastus S. Letts, formed the Rochester Elevator Company and repurchased the elevator from Ferrin Brothers. The company immediately began expanding and improving the elevator, likely by moving previously existing buildings into place and joining them to the 1880 elevator.[2]
The Rochester Elevator changed ownership again in 1913, 1922, and 1930. In 1932, local businessman Lewis Cass Crissman purchased it, turning over operation to his son, L. Keith Crissman, who purchased it himself in 1942. It was sold again in 1952, 1956, and 1962, and Lawrence Smith eventually took over operation of the elevator. However, by the 1960s, the need for an elevator in Rochester was rapidly waning, and shipping became a minor portion of the business. Smith transitioned the company to a retail feed and seed and home and garden supply outlet, and continued operating it well into the 21st century.[2]
