Ann Arbor - Gheos Worldguide

Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor was founded as the Village of Annarbour in 1824, but the region had been inhabitied by indigenous peoples for thousands of years before that. In 1839, the Michigan Central Railroad arrived and the town became an important transportation hub.

Ann Arbor is a research and educational center and home to a large number of government and industrial research and development firms. Many of these companies operate in high-technology fields such as aerospace and nuclear research. Other industries include printing and publishing and the manufacture of electronic, medical and transportation equipment and precision machinery.

Educational facilities that have seats in Ann Arbor include the University of Michigan and Concordia College. The city is an important medical center. It has university hospitals, a medical school, a community hospital and a neuro-psychiatric hospital.

Points of interest

The Italianate Ann Arbor Central Fire Station opened in 1882 and remained in use by the fire department until 1978. Nowadays, the building houses the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. It is located at 220 E Ann Street.
The Ann Arbor District Library (AADL) opened in 1957. The building was enlarged in 1974 and 1991. The library houses almost half a million items, including books, CDs and DVDs. It is located at 343 South Fifth Avenue, in the center of town.
The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum was established in 1978. It is housed in the former Ann Arbor Central Fire Station. The museum is located at 220 E Ann Street.
The Argo Dam was built in 1920 to provide hydroelectricity to Ann Arbor. The power plant was decommissioned in 1959. The area around the dam was then recreated for recreational purposes and it is now known as the Argo Nature Area and Bandemer Park.
Barton Dam is a hydroelectric barrage dam that was built across the Huron River in 1912. After the dam was completed, the rising water created the reservoir of Barton Pond. The dam still provides electricity for the city.
The Diag was originally known as the Diagonal Green. It comprises a number of sidewalks on the campus of the University of Michigan. Buildings in the area include:
- The Alumni Memorial Hall dates from 1908.
- Angell Hall is an academic building that was built between 1920 and 1924. It was named in honour of James Burrill Angell, who was president of the the University of Michigan from 1871 to 1909.
- The Chemistry Building opened in 1910.
- The East Physics Building opened in 1924.
- The Edward Henry Kraus Building was completed in 1915.
- The General Library is also known as the Hatcher Graduate Library. It was built in 1920, on the site of an earlier Library.
- The Harold T. and Vivian B. Shapiro Library opened in 1958.
- Haven Hall is an addition to the Angell Hall complex. It was built in 1952.
- Mason Hall is an addition to the Angell Hall complex. It was built in 1952.
- President's House is the official residence of the President of the University of Michigan. It was built in Italianate style in 1840, making it the oldest building on the university campus. It is located at 815 South University Avenue.
- The Samuel Trask Dana Building was constructed in 1901.
- Tappan Hall dates from 1893.
- The University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) was originally built in 1909, as a war memorial for students who had died during the Civil War. With the growing art collection, it was converted into a museum. Nowadays, it houses some 20,000 works of art, making it one of the largest university art museums in the United States.
- The West Engineering Building was completed in 1904.
- The William L. Clements Library opened in 1923.
A farmers' market is located in the Kerrytown district.
The First Congregational Church.
The University of Michigan Law quad dining hall.
The Michigan Theater opened in 1927. The movie theater can seat an audience of 1,610. It is located at 603 E Liberty Street, adjacent to the State Theater.
Nickels Arcade is a shopping mall that originally opened as a meat market in 1915. It is located at 326-330 South State Street.
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School.
The State Theater opened in 1942. The movie theater was built in the Art Deco style and it was renovated in 1979 and 2017. It is located at 233 South State Street, adjacent to the Michigan Theater.
Tower Plaza was completed in 1969. The high-rise condominium is the tallest building in Ann Arbor. It has 26 floors and it is 81 m (267 ft) tall. The building ia located at 555 E William Street.
The Weinmann Block was built in Victorian style in 1885. The commercial building is located at 219-223 E Washington Street.
The university includes a botanical garden and several art museums, as well as museums of natural science and archaeology.

Accommodation and restaurants are available in town. Several annual events are held in the city. Ann Arbor is located on the Huron River in the south of Michigan, 85 km southeast from Lansing and 690 km northwest from Washington D.C.

Images

Michigan Theater and State Theater ©Brad Switzer

Law quad dining hall ©Brad Switzer
Law quad dining hall ©Brad Switzer