Historical Name: n/a
Street Address: 112-116 N. Superior
Block Name: n/a
Building Date: c.1896
Arch. Style: Commercial Italianate
Architectural Description
Brick building with segmental arched windows on second story, and a corbelled frieze. 112 and 114 have been restored to original fronts. 116 has been incorporated into 118 North Superior and greatly modified with the addition of a pent roof/sign awning and new display windows. 112 and 114, which were built over the river, were rebuilt after the 1908 flood that collapsed the North Superior Street bridge. Round steel posts attached to broad steel beams have been added in recent years to support 112 and 114. At the top of each post are steel plates forming a stylized capital. The posts are capped by recycled bowling balls. The south elevation is covered with a large Coca-Cola mural (c.1909) that was restored in 1983.
Historical Information
This is one of several buildings on Superior Street suspended over the Kalamazoo River. On March 8, 1908, a large flood from melting snow and heavy rain caused several of the buildings to collapse into the river. Under the Leadership of Mayor Daniel McAuliffe, extra pilings were placed under the bridge to prevent future damage. It has been pretty quiet since then. In 1983 the Coca-Cola mural on the south wall was redone.