The Downtown Adrian Commercial Historic District is a historic district

Historic district (United States)

In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...

 comprising the downtown

Downtown

Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....

 area of Adrian

Adrian, Michigan

As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. It was designated as a Michigan Historic Site

Michigan State Historic Preservation Office

The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is in charge of the listing of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of Michigan, including buildings, lighthouses, bridges, historic districts, and many other properties deemed important to the history of Michigan...

 and added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 on April 17, 1986.

While the district traces its origins to the foundation of Adrian in 1826, the oldest buildings within the district today date back to 1865; the majority were built between 1865–1920. The district is roughly bounded on the north by Toledo Street, on the east by North Broad Street, on the south by East Church Street, and on the west by North Winter Street (M-52

M-52 (Michigan highway)

M-52 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is on the Ohio border, where it continues as State Route 109 . The highway passes through communities like Adrian, where it intersects US Highway 223 , Chelsea and Webberville along its course...

), West Maumee Street, and the River Raisin

River Raisin

The River Raisin is a river in southeastern Michigan, United States that flows through glacial sediments into Lake Erie. The area today is an agricultural and industrial center of Michigan. The river flows for almost , draining an area of in the Michigan counties of Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw,...

. Most of the district is enclosed by the US-223 Business Route, although the two are not conterminous.

The buildings within the district are a mix of Federal

Federal architecture

Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...

, Greek Revival

Greek Revival architecture

The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...

, and Late Victorian

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

 architecture. The Downtown Adrian Commercial Historic District also includes other listings on the National Register of Historic Places, including Adrian Engine House No. 1

Adrian Engine House No. 1

The Adrian Engine House No. 1 is a historic fire station located at 126 East Church Street in downtown Adrian, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 21, 1989...

, Adrian Public Library

Adrian Public Library

The Adrian Public Library is a historic structure located at 110 East Church Street in downtown Adrian, Michigan. Originally used as a library, it was designated as a Michigan Historic Site on December 14, 1976 and later listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 1977...

, Adrian Union Hall-Croswell Opera House

Croswell Opera House

The Croswell Opera House is a historic theater located at 129 East Maumee Street in the city of Adrian, Michigan. It is recognized as the oldest continuously running theater in the state and among the oldest in the United States...

, and Clark Memorial Hall

Clark Memorial Hall

The Clark Memorial Hall is a commercial building located at 120–124 South Winter Street in the Downtown Adrian Commercial Historic District in Adrian, Michigan...

.