Kerrytown in Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Changing Face of North Fourth Avenue
Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 30, 2020
1. The Changing Face of North Fourth Avenue Marker
When A. V. Robinson & Son's Livery and Hack Stable advertised "Best Carriages in the City for Funerals" in 1872, the building that had housed the Goodrich House Hotel still stood just down the street. The YMCA was built on the hotel site in 1904. The hack stable—by then operating as an auto garage—is visible behind Van's Marine Band and the Boy Scouts parade banner in the 1916 photograph above.
Women workers watched through windows from the Washtenaw Abstract office on the right — a building that still stands today with the addition of a 1927 Art Deco facade. Ann Arbor's Farmers' Market had its origin in 1919 when ten farmers began selling produce directly from wagons and trucks on the Main St. side of the courthouse. As the number of farmers increased, this "curb market" was moved to North Fourth Ave.
Upper image caption:
4 — Van's Marine Band and Boy Scouts of America Parade on Fourth between Ann St. and East Huron St., ca. 1916
Upper image lower right inset caption:
Below: Employees in the offices of Washtenaw Abstract, ca. 1915.
Lower image
this page online
Left: James "Toby" Green, with his wife Ruth and sister Orah, in the office of his dray and stove business two doors north of the YMCA.
Right: The farmers' market on N. Fourth Ave. grew to include East Ann St. before it was moved to its present site on Detroit St. in 1931.
Sponsored by Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation
Photos courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library and Ruth Green Spann
Erected by Ann Arbor Historical Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.
Location. 42° 16.936′ N, 83° 44.894′ W. Marker is in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in Washtenaw County. It is in Kerrytown. Marker is at the intersection of East Ann Street and North Main Street, on the right when traveling east on East Ann Street. Marker is on the northwest corner of the Washtenaw County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 East Huron Street, Ann Arbor MI 48104, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Meeting Place for Ann Arbor's Black Community (here, next to this marker); A Corner Landmark on Huron and North Fourth (here, next to this marker); A Former Bank and Estate on Ann Street (here, next to this marker); Commerce on the "Ann Street Block"
Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 30, 2020
2. The Changing Face of North Fourth Avenue Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 21, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 96 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 21, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
