Potter Street – Saginaw, Michigan
The brick building visible at the far right of the block is the historic, long-abandoned State Theatre located at 614 Potter Street. This neighborhood was once a bustling commercial hub centered around the nearby Saginaw Timber Station and Potter Street Station. Opened on February 15, 1927, as a neighborhood cinema seating 475 people, it eventually closed its doors as a theater in June 1959. It later briefly served as an auto dealership before falling into complete disrepair.
Looking down the block, several adjacent blocks have been entirely cleared of buildings.
Built out of classic red-brown brick in 1927, featuring a symmetrical facade with detailed brick molding and upper windows that still retain their glass. After its run as a 475-seat cinema ended in 1959, it was used as an auto dealership. Later, it transitioned into a house of worship, as noted by the small white sign on the right marking it as a former location for the “Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith”.
One block further down the entirely vacant block awaits.
The historic Potter Street Station (officially the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad East Saginaw Union Station) located at 501 Potter Street, is just a short distance down the road from the State Theatre. Built in 1881 and designed by New York architect Bradford Lee Gilbert, it spans 285 feet by 40 feet. It stands as the largest remaining late Victorian-era railway depot in Michigan. During the height of Saginaw’s lumber and rail boom, it served as a bustling gateway for travelers, soldiers, and immigrants. Regular passenger operations ceased in 1950, and the station closed completely in 1986. Just days before a massive renovation project was scheduled to begin, an arson fire tore through the upper levels and roof on April 16, 1991. The masonry shell and lower framing remarkably survived the hours-long blaze.
The property is safeguarded by The Saginaw Depot Preservation Corporation. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 and designated a state-protected Historic District. Preservationists recently hit a milestone by securing donations and community support to complete critical, long-awaited roof stabilization and repairs to protect the remaining interior. The Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services (STARS) has conducted feasibility studies to potentially redevelop the depot into a regional transit and bus hub.
The collapsed rear engine house and looming red-brick chimney stack is part of the depot’s original heating plant system. It features ornate brick corbeling at the crown, though it exhibits significant weathering and missing masonry at the very top. The timber-framed roof of this utility section has completely caved inward, fracturing the shingles and exposing the charred, rotting interior support beams. Much of this severe structural failure stems from decades of exposure to elements following the devastating 1991 arson fire. The ruins are currently secured behind a chain-link fence topped with thick overgrown wild grapevines to deter trespassing and urban exploration.
While the main passenger depot building nearby has recently received long-awaited stabilization and roof repairs funded by the Saginaw Depot Preservation Corporation, outbuildings like this attached boiler house remain in a critical state of collapse due to the immense funding required for full restoration.
The main passenger facade of the Saginaw Potter Street Station is surrounded by a concrete slab visible inside the chain-link perimeter fence once served as the primary boarding platform for passengers catching trains. The two large, green wooden double doors on the ground floor were designed to swiftly move baggage, mail, and heavy freight directly between the station interior and waiting rail cars. The single-story passenger canopy exhibits extensive weathering, missing shingles, and twisted metal trimming supported by detailed wrought-iron bracket frames. The upper window openings on the second floor feature temporary wooden support bracings and protective panels installed by preservationists to stabilize the masonry headers. [1]
The Saginaw Depot Preservation Corporation (SDPC) reached a historic milestone by utilizing volunteer labor and local building supply donations to pull off critical roof repairs and shingle replacements. This volunteer-led intervention successfully patched the main roof gaps, stopping water intrusion and completely drying out the structure’s interior timber skeleton for the first time in decades.
The grand central entrance facade of the Potter Street Station has a prominent decorative brick pediment that sits directly above a Gothic Revival arched entryway. A carved terra-cotta emblem is embedded into the brickwork right above the door. An metal fire escape ladder drops down across the upper left windows. Symmetrical arched windows span the upper level, currently secured with protective panels. The massive main double doors are sealed shut and painted a dark forest green.