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Shelden-Dee Block

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1899–1900, Henry Leopold Ottenheimer. 512–524 Shelden Ave.
  • (Photograph by Kathryn Bishop Eckert)
  • (Photograph by Kathryn Bishop Eckert)

The large three-story Shelden-Dee Block was commissioned by James R. Dee and Mary E. Shelden (1845–1935), members of early pioneer families who speculated in the mineral and timberlands of Michigan's copper frontier. A single large block of stores and office suites was divided into identical halves, one for each investor. Brick with smooth-cut and richly carved red Portage Entry sandstone cover a steel structural frame. There is quite a lot of Louis Sullivan in the building: the tripartite division between base, shaft, and top; the emphasis on the verticals in the engaged pilasters that articulate the frame with recessed spandrels and secondary verticals between; the clearly articulated door motifs; and the ornament in the frieze. A rich and ornate copper cornice supports the roof. Paul P. F. Mueller constructed the building. The Shelden-Dee Block is a classical version of Chicago School design.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Kathryn Bishop Eckert
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Data

What's Nearby

Douglass House Apartments and Saloon (Douglass House)
Wells Fargo Bank (Houghton National Bank, First National Bank of Houghton)
Houghton City Centre (Houghton Masonic Temple Building)
Houghton County Courthouse
St. Ignatius Loyola Church

Citation

Kathryn Bishop Eckert, "Shelden-Dee Block", [Houghton, Michigan], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MI-01-HO4.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Michigan

Buildings of Michigan, Kathryn Bishop Eckert. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012, 473-473.

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