Old Town (Lansing, Michigan)

Old Town
Neighborhood
Coordinates: 42°44′49″N 83°8′35″W / 42.74694°N 83.14306°WCoordinates: 42°44′49″N 83°8′35″W / 42.74694°N 83.14306°W
Country United States
State Michigan
County Ingham
Area
 • Total 0.44 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation 860 ft (262 meters) ft (228 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 1,654
 • Density 3,708.5/sq mi (1,431.9/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 48906
Area code(s) 517
FIPS code 26-80700[1]
GNIS feature ID 1615125[2]
Website http://www.iloveoldtown.org/
North Lansing Historic Commercial District
Location E. Grand River Ave. and Turner St., Lansing, Michigan
Area 11 acres (4.5 ha)
Architectural style Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian, Vernacular Commercial
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 76001029[3]
Added to NRHP April 30, 1976

Located in the northern end of Lansing, Michigan, Old Town overlooks the Grand River and a winding bike trail. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the North Lansing Historic Commercial District, the district was established in the mid-19th century and it is the oldest of the three original villages of what is now present day Lansing. This area contains the first home built in Lansing , by pioneer James Seymour and his family in 1843. After a long decline brought about by economic changes in the area, Old Town has emerged in the last twenty years as a center of arts and culture for the greater Lansing area.

Historical timeline

1843: wooden dam built by John W. Burchard; area's 1st settler

1844: saw mill was built by workman on the payroll of James Seymour

1847: main bridge across the Grand River and stores as well as hotels emerged along Grand River Ave between N. Washington and Center Street and North on Turner Street

1850: Pearl Mill site, which was 3 stories, produced Pearl Flour

1864-1865: Presbyterians organized themselves and completed the building of their church

1874: Union Block, a 5 Italianate storefront, housed grocery store, saloon, and harness shops

1879: Methodist erected their 1st church called "first Methodist church"

1880: Grange Hall was built, at first housed a general store then became the State Grange Building

1881: Michigan School of the Blind moved to Lansing

1860-1880: city population rose over by 5000

1876-1917: North Lansing Depot served as the passenger and freight depot and grain elevator for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad.

1960s and '70s: Economic downturn begins to force North Lansing's Old Town into a trend of urban decay

1970s: City officials start determining preservation methods for Old Town

1980s: The Reagan era cuts in funding for urban areas slightly slows down the redevelopment of North Lansing

1984: Old Town Business and Art Development Association is Formed

1992: The Old Town Business and Art Development Association is changed to the Business and Art Development Association of Historic North Lansing

1994: The name of the Association is again changed to OTBADA - Old Town Business and Art Development Association

1994: First annual OctoberFest

1995: First annual Lansing JazzFest

1996: Old Town Main Street Program established through Old Town Commercial Association

2000: First Annual Festival of the Sun

2003: OctoberFest is transformed to BluesFest

2003: OTBADA is awarded the 18th annual ArtServe Michigan Governor's Award for Arts and Culture in the Business Honor Roll category.

2004: Old Town awarded the Statewide Arts Award from the Michigan Association of Community Arts Agencies.

2004: First Annual Festival of the Moon

2006: Old Town named a Michigan Street Program Area under Governor Granholm's Cool Cities Initiative

2006: Old Town Oktoberfest reestablished as an authentic German Oktoberfest in celebration of rich German heritage in the Old Town district.

2006: First Annual Music Extravaganza

2008: Old Town wins IKEA Small Business Big Dreams Makeover

2009: Old Town Sesquicentennial

2009: First Annual Old Town Scrapfest

2009: Old Town Commercial Association erects City of Lansing's first Community Build Playground in Burchard Park

2011: Old Town Main Street receives Great American Main Street Award

Economy

The economy of Old Town took decades of development to get in its current state, much of which was done through grassroots programming such as the Old Town Main Street program. Previously considered the "red light" district of Lansing , Old Town is a thriving center of commerce, being the home of nearly one hundred businesses. The economy is 45% service based and 24% retail. The district is a thriving shopping district. Old Town is also known to be a center of the arts with 20% of all businesses arts based, one of the highest concentrations in the state of Michigan. Old Town is the home of some notable businesses and associations such as:

The district hosts over 111 festivals and events throughout the year and is also the trail head for Lansing's River Trail, one of the longest urban river trails in the country. Between Old Town's location at the head of the River Trail, and its well attended weekly, monthly, and annual events, over 120,000 visitors enjoy the district each year with 50% coming from outside Ingham county.

Cultural events

Education

There are no schools located within the Old Town borders, but the school-aged children of the area attend schools in the North Lansing area.

Geography/demographics

The area of Old Town is approx 6.157 square miles (15.9 km2) with the population of approx 15,000, which has a population density of 2,500 people per square mile. Some of the popular and main roads in Old Town are E Sheridan Road, W Sheridan Road, N Logan Street, Wood Street, E Grand River Ave, Turner Street, and Lake Lansing Road. Conrail Railroad, Abandoned Railroad, and Cxs Railroad run through the Old Town area. Though the Old Town borders are sometimes disagreed upon between neighbors, the neighborhood is roughly between Pine Street and Larch Street (West to East), and between North Street and Oakland (North to South). The Grand River runs through this section of Lansing. It runs from the Southeast to the Northwest, right past the Turner-Dodge House and Heritage Center. The Lansing River Trail runs along the river as well.

Old Town Population Chart 2000 POP. 11,400 1990 POP. 12,100 PERCENT DECLINE. -6%

Demographics % OF POP. (2000)

NATIVE BORN; 93% FOREIGN BORN; 7%

IMMIGRANT POPULATION LIVING IN OLD TOWN

LATINO POPULATION

OLD TOWN ANCESTRY

Notable residents

(NOTE: This list seems to refer to Lansing rather than Old Town itself)

References

  1. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Old Town (Lansing, Michigan)
  3. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.

External links