Downtown Kalamazoo and Bronson Park

(Bronson Park historical district)

Description: Downtown area and Bronson Park

Why it should be preserved: It is a historical monument to Kalamazoo. It is a great gathering point and a beautiful festival site. It contains a park in an urban setting. It is the center of Kalamazoo. There is a tree in Bronson Park that is huge – the oldest one there more than likely. Don’t cut it down! The park has statues and fountains. Several large churches also surround it. The Bronson park Historic district is significant for containing Kalamazoo’s city, county, and federal buildings, as well as a number of civic structures which house religious, social, and cultural organizations important in the history of Kalamazoo. Many of the district’s late nineteenth and early twentieth-century public and civic structures are also notable in architectural terms as architectural landmarks in the city and in Michigan. Some are important works of major Michigan and American architects such as Gordon W. Lloyd, Charles Z. Klauder, Aymar Embury II, and Smith, Hinchman, and Gryils. The district is also significant in artistic terms for its fountain designed b sculptor Alfonso Iannelli.

Other Comments: It is one of the only open areas in downtown Kalamazoo. The churches are also very comforting.

Type of Property: Historical, Recreational, Scenic viewpoint