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Historic district, Holly, since 1870

Downtown Holly Commercial District

Still standing, photographed 2017

Downtown Holly, Michigan, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened
1870
Style
Classical Revival
Standing
156 years

Downtown Holly Commercial District has stood on Roughly bounded by Maple St. in Holly since 1870, 156 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.

On the map

More photos of Downtown Holly Commercial District

View of downtown, Holly, Michigan, 2017 Photo: Paul R. Burley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
View of downtown, Holly, Michigan, 2017 Photo: Paul R. Burley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Hirst Hotel Holly MI, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What is there now

Standing

We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 24, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.

The story

By Victoria Jackson, Editor in Chief Updated

In 1870, in the decades its town grew around the railroad and the mill, Downtown Holly Commercial District opened in Holly.

It was built in the Classical Revival style, and it still reads that way from the sidewalk.

The National Register of Historic Places listed it in 1986.

Go see it at Roughly bounded by Maple St., S. Broad St., Grand Trunk Western Railroad, and First St. Photos never get the scale right.

The Downtown Holly Commercial District is a commercial historic district located primarily South Saginaw Street and Battle Alley in Holly, Michigan. The district is roughly bounded by Maple Street, South Broad Street, First Street, and the Grand Trunk Railroad tracks. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Timeline

  1. 1870 Built Classical Revival, Late Victorian
  2. 1986 Listed on the National Register April 25, 1986
  3. 2026 Today 156 years and still standing

Where it is

Roughly bounded by Maple St., S. Broad St., Grand Trunk Western Railroad, and First St., Holly

On this map

  1. Downtown Holly Commercial District This place
  2. Hirst Hotel 0.1 mi
  3. Holly Union Depot 0.3 mi

Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors

Around the block

Photo credits

Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.

  1. Downtown Holly, Michigan, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. View of downtown, Holly, Michigan, 2017 Photo: Paul R. Burley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. View of downtown, Holly, Michigan, 2017 Photo: Paul R. Burley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  4. Hirst Hotel Holly MI, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  5. Downtown Holly MI, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  6. Downtown Holly MI, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.