Downtown – Traverse City, Michigan
Beadle Building. John T. Beadle built this building in 1892 for his harness shop. Its exterior was restored in the early 1980’s exposing the solid eighteen inch thick walls made with brick manufactured in nearby Greilickville.
The Traverse City Ale Trail highlights a growing number of breweries in the Traverse City area. It’s possible to take an atlas for a self-guided tour, or to purchase tickets for a paid tour.
Free library outside of the State Theater recognizing the Traverse City Film Festival with a simplified model of the marquee attached to the front of the building. (May 2014)
The neighborhoods around downtown have a number of distinctive houses. This one stood out for its bold colors, multi-gabled roof, tree made from blue bottles, and garden that fills much of the front yard.
Novotny’s Saloon. Built in 1886 by Antoine Novotny, one of the Bohemian founders of Traverse City, he built a bar on this side. Novotny’s was the social center of the city’s south side and headquarters of the Traverse City Hustlers semi-pro baseball team. In 1939 the business was purchased by William H. Dill and the name changed to Dill’s. In the ensuing years, the adjacent meat market and vegetable stand were added. On April 22, 1978, a fire destroyed the original wood frame building. A near replica of that structure was completed ten weeks later and continues to be one of Traverse City’s social centers.
Visit in 2018
Munsun Medical Center has a .76 mile loop and 1.33 mile loop. This concrete sign base and relatively simple sign is a way to quickly establish and also alter a walking route as needed.
An impressive rehabilitation brought the Grand Traverse Commons back from the brink of destruction. Previous hospital rooms were turned into residences and some mixed-use commercial space. Set on a landscaped campus, there are ample opportunities to stroll and also enjoy the architecture. The ventilation towers rising through the roof draw fresh air into the building.
Red Spire Brunch House in the basement level at Grand Traverse Commons.
The Free Library outside of the Commons has a veneer of the distinctive buff colored brick.
Back in downtown Traverse City, the parking deck has highly visible entry arches. They extend over the sidewalk and make clear where the entrance for the deck is. Murals on the side walls soften the space lining the entrance street to the parking deck while creating some visual interest.
Murals are featured at numerous other locations throughout the downtown. Often they are employed to draw attention to the businesses and their offerings inside.
The Coin Slot arcade also has local beers on tap. This is a creative way to expand the market presence for local breweries beyond the traditional bars and restaurants. Workshop Brewing are the innovators behind this placement.
The Omelette Shoppe has a parklet out front to extend their dining capacity.
My Secret Stash is a store featuring products by over 100 Michigan makers. Their A-frame sign brings their brand colors and store messaging out on to the sidewalk.
Blade sign and street signage for Sparks BBQ help to give this business an enhanced profile from the street and sidewalk.
The messaging Buy Local First reminds customers the importance of shopping at physical locations.
Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park. This is one of the last public spaces open on East Bay. Protected during the Blanchard administration, today it provides much needed access to the waterfront.
Downtown Traverse City wayfinding map in the style of a NYC subway map. Works well to highlight different neighborhoods and how best to navigate through town.
Streetscapes and Wayfinding
Stickers for The Coin Slot business give it a presence far from their physical location.
This mid-block crossing makes it safer for pedestrians to get across with a raised sidewalk with different materials from the asphalt street. Note the sizable concrete ribbons on either side that further distinguish the crossing visually from what is around it.
As the river weaves through downtown it creates a buffer between the downtown buildings and parking to the right and the park and water to the left.
A pedestrian passage beneath the main road running along the bay provides safe access to Clinch Park. Murals further activate the space and discourage people from spraying graffiti on the walls. The hand painted digital collage is by Bobby Magee Lopez. Nineteen murals honors the Anishinaabe ancestral connections to the region from an indigenous perspective. The project was funded through the Traverse City Arts Commission Public Art Fund and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians Grant Fund.
Sidewalk stencil makes clear that this section of sidewalk is for pedestrians only – not cyclists, skateboarders, or joggers.
Visit in 2000
The historic building stick for the multi-block downtown was very much intact.
In addition to the old buildings are a number of multi-story new buildings that provide commercial space, offices, and residential living options.
Central United Methodist Church in Traverse City has a historic presence. The octagonal dome with
Grand Traverse Pavilions residential community was in its early stages of rehabilitation.
The Traverse City Light & Power electricity generating plant once had a prime waterfront location. Years later it was demolished to create public open space along the waterfront.
The waters of West Grand Traverse Bay, even when the tide is further out, have the distinctive color in shades of aqua, teal, and blue. Their massiveness and the depth of the bay contribute to the amazing color of the water here.
Finally, the Dennos Museum Center is a regional art museum with permanent exhibits and rotating exhibition space.
