A View From The ‘Ville
‘Water Wheel’ building a Blueprint for Success A few years back I interviewed Chris Johnson, Northville’s longest serving mayor, who remembered the days, in the 1960s and 1970s, when our town was down on its luck. It was a bleak time when downtown Northville was basically dead, filled with vacant buildings and not many visitors. “You could roll a bowling ball down Main Street in the middle of the day, and you wouldn’t have hit a soul,” Johnson told me at the time. Johnson, a 1973 graduate of Northville High School, credited two developments as being catalysts of the historic town’s revival. First was the passage in 1978 of the Mainstreet 78 plan and the creation of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), which has financed many of the physical improvements that we are familiar with today. The second, according to Johnson, came a few years later in 1994 when a manufacturer named Rick Cox came to town and purchased the old Ford Motor Company Valve Plant, which we all know now as the Water Wheel Centre. Johnson was the mayor when Cox bought the hulking, vacant building at 235 E. Main Street and remembers his initial conversations with Cox, who wanted to restore the Albert Kahn-designed building to its former glory when Henry Ford himself was a regular fixture. True to his word, Cox took great care and a keen interest in the building’s rehabilitation.
Today the “Water Wheel” building is undeniably one of Northville’s jewels. I had the opportunity to finally take a tour of the building a couple weeks ago and was ‘wowed’ by Cox’s efforts. The 20,000 square foot building that dates back to 1936 is home to about a dozen tenants, ranging from Planet Fitness to an internationally-acclaimed architectural firm, and houses more than a hundred jobs, including many well-paid The owner of the Water Wheel Centre has purchased this former professionals. Studebaker dealership at 200 S. Main Street. Johnson said the project spurred other investors to buildings around town that he has big plans for, come to town and rehabilitate other historic but isn’t quite ready to go public with yet. I’ve buildings. Shops were filled and life returned. seen some of his plans, and frankly they are pretty Downtown began to look like what it does today, amazing. Let’s hope they come to fruition. still possessing the timeliness and charm that we Cox’s approach is quite different from others all love. we have recently reported upon who want to Fortunately, Cox is not done. His company tear down historic buildings because they think just purchased the Stitching Post building at 200 the dirt they rest upon is more valuable. But, in S. Main Street, which was the former Petz Bros. reality, all they are doing is taking advantage of an Studebaker dealership. While it doesn’t look like economic climate created by visionaries like Rick much today, the building is located at one of the Cox who realized Northville’s history is a great gateways into the downtown. Cox plans to rehab foundation for future success. the building so it is a showpiece. Kurt Kuban is editor of The ‘Ville. He welcomes He’s also got his eyes on a couple other historic your feedback at kurtkuban@gmail.com.
Your Voice – Letters
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Iconic water wheel to keep on turnin’
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