The Nisbett Building is a commercial building located at 101 South Michigan Avenue in

Big Rapids, Michigan Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home o ...

. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977 and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1986.

History

In 1885, Daniel F. Comstock, a leading Big Rapids businessman, began construction on this building. He spent $150,000 enclosing the building and finishing the Maple Street facade; however, work on the building apparently halted due to the economic downturn in the 1890s. Comstock himself went bankrupt in 1896, and the building ownership was assumed by the Michigan Trust Company of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. The Trust sold the building to William P. Nisbett, a retired newspaper editor from Big Rapids, in 1900 for $20,000. Nisbett was born in London in 1847, and in 1861 emigrated with his family to the United States. In 1863 the family moved to

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

, and the next year William Nisbett served briefly in the

16th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment {{Infobox military unit , unit_name= 16th Michigan Infantry Regiment , image=Flag of Michigan.svg , image_size = 100 , caption=Michigan state flag , dates= July, 1861 to July 8, 1865 , country= United States , allegiance= Union , branch= Infantry ...

. In 1869, he established a newspaper in Pontiac, where he worked until 1880. In 1882, he purchased the Big Rapids ''Herald'', where he worked until his retirement in 1900. Nisbett hired Grand Rapids builder J. H. Fisher to complete construction, including a hotel in one section of the building. In 1929, the eastern portion of the building was demolished in a fire. In 2003, the Nisbett Building, along with the nearby Fairman Building, were refurbished into senior citizen housing, and are now known as the Nisbett-Fairman Residences.

Description

The Nisbett Building is a three-story rectangular

Late Victorian Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

brick commercial block. It is located the intersection of Michigan and Maple. There are four entryways, each topped with a parapet. The main entrance is through a four-bay porch supported by Corinthian columns; a second corner entry opens into a bank lobby. The arched windows have wooden sashes, and are arranged in three-bay configurations.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Victorian architecture in Michigan Commercial buildings completed in 1885 Buildings and structures in Mecosta County, Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites National Register of Historic Places in Mecosta County, Michigan