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Architecture for the Centuries

An abundance of lumber made it as easy to build monumental structures as it did to build monumental ships. Lumbermen and shipbuilders who came to Bay City from the East Coast to seek fame and fortune brought with them a love of fine architecture and a desire to live well. They built the expansive homes, commercial buildings and churches that Bay City people still live, work and worship in much as our forefathers did almost 150 years ago.

Local experiences in lumbering and shipbuilding led to further innovations in home construction. Two Bay City brothers, William and Otto Sovereign, took a nod from the pre-cut kit boats designed and manufactured here and founded the Aladdin Homes Company. Soon the mail-order homes industry was thriving in Bay City with ready-cut home kits designed and sold by the Aladdin, Lewis-Liberty and Sterling companies. Many models were constructed throughout the community so manufacturers could offer tours to potential buyers, making Bay City a living catalogue of mail-order home design.

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James Clements Airport

614 South River Road
Bay City, MI 48708
Phone: 989-895-8991

Dedicated in 1930 to commemorate Bay City pilots who gave their lives for their country, the Colonial Revival Administration Building at James Clements Airport was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The building today houses a collection of photographs of Bay City’s military pilots. The airport is home to the Valley Aero Club and local chapters of the Civil Air Patrol and the Experimental Aircraft Association. The boggy areas on the outskirts of the airport are also home to the cream-colored prairie fringed orchid, a rare and threatened wildflower. The Airport Administration building is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Architecture for the Centuries