HISTORY OF MILL END
A look at the historical and infamous buildings in the Mill End block in Downtown Bay City
- 1862,The Globe Hotel, M.A. Rouech
- 1866, one of the first brick buildings established in Bay City
- Home to Bay City jewelry icon Herman Hiss & Company
- Variety Theatre (rumor has it)
- Part of Hell’s Half Mile, where loggers and shipmen would blow off steam (to say the least) in the late 1800’s and where buildings housed tunnels during Prohibition
- 1940, Mill End Store opened, billed as “The World’s Most Unusual Store”
- 2005, The Mill End Store closed after 65 years in business
- 2007, Rowleys purchased the Mill End building (originally three separate buildings, each in various stages of deterioration) in hopes of restoring. An engineering study confirmed saving the existing building(s) was not feasible, either structurally or financially
- 2012, the structure(s) was razed
This could have been the end of the story… But thanks to Paul and Peggy Rowley, and their vision and belief in the community of Bay City, the new Mill End Lofts will be the next chapter in continuing the vitality of the historical block.
Many artifacts were saved and will be visible at The Mill End Lofts including:
- Mill End neon lettering
- Keystone block with 1868 date
- Red metal panels
- Original elevator cage door