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Mayflower Hotel Site

16 Jul

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This post is quite different from any of our previous posts because of the fact that that it highlights a building that is not very historic yet is a corner that is rich in Plymouth’s history. It has been our discovery that this page receives many searches for the Historic Mayflower Hotel and we were quite surprised to find that there are many people who are still unaware that the Mayflower no longer stands. 827 W. Ann Arbor Trail was home to the Mayflower Hotel from 1927 through 1999. The Hotel was razed in 2000 and is now the home of Mayflower Centre which consists of both retail spaces and condominiums. This was the location where Plymouth’s first home was built by Plymouth Pioneers William and Kezia Starkweather in 1825. Although Plymouth’s first home was more of a primitive shelter, it was still a home and this South West corner of Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail is where it all began. Today there are still “remains” of the Mayflower. Directly across Main Street, the former Mayflower Meeting House still stands and is now home to a Banquet Facility and office spaces. The Mayflower’s later addition (Mayflower II) still stands at 471 S. Main Street and operates as the Mayflower Motor Inn.

Here is verbiage from an old post card dated 1986 of the Mayflower:

100 room historic, family-operated hotel featuring Bed and Breakfast Full complimentary breakfast for overnight guests, at Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail, off I-275 and M-14, 25 minutes from Metro Airport, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Greenfield Village – Five minutes to Northville Downs Within walking distance of 150 unique shops, tree lined Kellogg Park and a movie theater – Banquet facilities up to 400 – Six meeting rooms – The Mayflower II rooms feature direct-dial phones, color TV, refrigerators, queen-size or double beds, individually controlled heating and cooling, Sprinkler system and smoke alarms – Deluxe rooms feature Kohler whirlpool bathtubs and king-sized beds

Below are some old images of the Hotel:

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340-380 South Main Street

18 Jan

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340-380 South Main Street. Built in 1951. Out of all the homes and structures we’ve posted, this building is the “youngest” of our Plymouth Discoveries but considering the historic significance of this piece of prime real estate in the heart of downtown Plymouth, we felt it only appropriate to do this post. Located directly across the street from Kellogg Park, this piece of property has seen its share of structures standing on this parcel of land. Throughout the 1800’s and into the early 1900’s there had been a number of businesses that stood here and were a big part of the Plymouth community. At one time there was even a Kroger that stood here. In 1951 the S.S. Kresge Company purchased the 4 buildings that had been standing in this spot and leveled them to build their department store. Kresge (the precursor to K-Mart) served post-war Plymouth for a number of years and left a number of memories for several members of this community. Today this building now serves as 3 restaurants owned by the Yaquinto family. Fiamma Grille, Comparis, and the Sardine Room. These restaurants have earned accolades from local food critics and were also featured on the show “Under the Radar Michigan”. When visiting Plymouth, check out these eateries for a distinctive dining experience.

Below we’ve included 2 photos of this same parcel of land on Main Street between Ann Arbor Trail & Penniman Ave

Below: Left – Photo of Kresge on S. Main Street circa 1953  Right– Photo of S. Main Street circa 1950

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107 S. Main Street

2 Jan

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107 S. Main Street. Built in 1900. This property was purchased by William Hoyt in 1883, 7 years later he built this home (built in the eclectic prarie style) where his family lived until 1943. Today this home is used for commercial purposes.

306 S. Main Street

21 Dec

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306 S. Main Street. Built in 1920. This Iconic Plymouth structure was originally built as the Plymouth United Savings Bank. There’s no missing this building when you’re in downtown Plymouth as it stands guard at the corner of Main and Penniman overlooking Kellogg Park. This bank was once run by some the most well known names in Plymouth’s history like: Bennett, Geer, Hough, Shearer, Starkweather, & Wilcox. This structure was built using solid materials like Limestone. This bank was built on the same spot where the old Coleman building once stood. This building operated as a bank until 1994 when it was sold. It has since seen a couple of different occupants and is currently home to the Greek Islands Restaurant.

Below is a photo from 1920 right after the construction of the bank, notice that the clock on the front hadn’t been installed yet.

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318-336 S. Main Street

1 Jul

318-336 S. Main Street was built in late 1893 after the “great fire” of 1893 eliminated most of the block. This is the Penniman Building, one of the most recognized structures in town which was built by Kate Penniman-Allen who was a very prominent figure in Plymouth. She was the Daughter of Ebenezer Penniman who was Plymouth’s first Congressman. Some of the most notable businesses in this building are Wiltse’s community pharmacy which has provided some of the best hometown service to this community for most of the 20th Century, 336 Main is a popular Martini Bar ( www.336Main.com ) and there are some great confections cooking at the Cupcake Station.

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1142 S. Main Street

1 Jul

1142 S. Main Street. Built in 1921. This is actually a “kit house” that was constructed by the Lewis Manufacturing Co. in Bay City. Originally the home of William Sutherland who was a Horticulturist also owned a large parcel of Plymouth land which was developed into the Sunshine Acres neighborhood. Sutherland Street was named in his honor. This home is listed on the registy of historical sites. http://detroit1701.org/Sutherland%20Bungalow.html

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280 S. Main Street

1 Jul

280 S. Main Street. Built in 1910 by Dr. Albert Patterson. This home was purchased in 1917 by Fred Schrader the Brother in-law of Dr. Patterson & was made into the Schrader Funeral Home. Schrader’s was one of the earliest funeral homes in Michigan and has had its doors open for business in Plymouth longer than any other business in town. This funeral home was ran by 3 generations of Schraders. This funeral home has served as the parlor to many well known names in Plymouth’s history.  http://www.schrader-howell.com/?page=ourhistory

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127 S. Main Street

1 Jul

127 S. Main, built around 1870. Although hard to picture this as a residential home due to the heavily modified additions, hidden behind the front commercial facade and modern siding there is a house. This was once the home of Fred Schrader, founder of Schrader Funeral Home on Main St (Plymouth’s 2nd oldest business) If you walk around the perimeter of this structure, you can still see some of the old stone foundation.

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Below is a historic photo of this home prior to the modern additions and renovations:

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298 S. Main Street

1 Jul

298 S. Main Street. Built in 1898. The Conner Building was originally built as Conner’s Hardware Store. Additions were made in 1904 and in 1926. Michael Conner established Plymouth’s first harware store in the 1850’s. Today this Iconic building houses multiple shops & offices such as Kilwin’s, a great place to treat yourself!  https://www.kilwins.com/plymouth

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Below is a photo of Penniman Ave and Main Street where you can see how Conner Hardware appeared in the 1940s.

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233 S. Main Street

1 Jul

233 S. Main Street. Built in 1875. This home was built by Henry W. Baker who once served as President of Daisy Air Rifle. This home is on the National Register of Historic Places is used today for commercial purposes.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_W._Baker_House

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134 N Main Street

1 Jul

134 N. Main, originally the home of James & Mary Park. Built in 1882. This later became home to Charlie Bennett, president of Daisy Manufacturing Co (1920-56) This home is now used for commercial purposes

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331 N. Main Street

27 Jun

331 N. Main street. Built in 1910 was originally Bonafide Manufacturing and Garage. You could have your old Ford serviced here. This was also Bonafide Manufacturing where fishing lures and frog spears were made. For years this was most known as Allison Chevrolet (bottom photo). This used to be a single story building but was heavily modified. The historical photo is of the same building circa 1912. The angled structure of the current day photo is actually a covered ramp used to drive cars up to the second floor when this was a car dealership.
The current business is very welcoming to visitors, it’s currently Plymouth Furniture Refinishing  http://plymouthfurniturerefinishing.net/

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186-192 N. Main Street

27 Jun

186-192 N. Main Street. Built 1905 in the Queen Anne style called Shingle. This double house was owned by Charles Bennett (President: Daisy Air Rifle Co.) but was actually home to his Father Lewis on one side and his Brother Fred on the other side. This home is now used for commercial purposes.

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499 S. Main Street

26 Jun

499 S. Main St. Built in 1925 was originally built as the Tonquish Lodge #32 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and then later served as the Meeting house for the Mayflower Hotel. This fine establishment is now the Meeting House Grand Ballroom and is an elegant choice for Weddings and banquets. It’s located just steps from Kellogg Park   http://www.meetinghousegrandballroom.com/hosts.html

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218 S. Main Street

26 Jun

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218 S. Main. Built 1893. Originally the home of Thomas Patterson, It also served as the Plymouth Hospital from 1932 – 1966. It’s now used for commercial purposes.

280 N. Main Street – Bode’s Corned Beef House

21 Jun

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280 N. Main Street. Built in 1868 by E. Gottlieb Bode who was an immigrant born in Germany in 1821. Mr Bode originally built this as Bode’s Hotel in anticipation for the Railroads which came shortly after the hotel was constructed. When the Railroads came, this hotel was already standing, sitting along the side of the tracks ready to accommodate passengers who were traveling by steam engine. Having also served as a home, a place of worship, and a boarding house, in 1959 it was opened as Bode’s Corned Beef House which many of us can still enjoy today. Gottlieb and his wife are both buried at Plymouth’s Riverside cemetery.

Historic photo of Gottlieb with Wife Mary (Minnie):

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E. Gottlieb & Mary Bode