28. The Douglas Union School

Location: 130 West Center Street, Douglas
Date: 1866

This noble Italianate structure with its bell cupola, bracketed roof overhang, pilasters on its four corners, elongated windows, and classical entryway is one of the finest buildings in Douglas — and unsurpassed in Michigan as a example of the importance attributed to raising the educational and aesthetic standards of Michigan schools in the post-Civil War period. The building was divided into four classrooms — a progressive “graded school” system of its time — and was also used for public meetings and concerts. It is the oldest surviving “union” or consolidated school building in Michigan.

The Douglas Union School closed in 1957 when the modern Douglas Elementary School was completed. The building was used for apartments until it was purchased by the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center in 2006. After a $1.4 million restoration, the building now serves as the headquarters of the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center.