A Short History of Cliffs Eighth Addition, A Modern Neighborhood
By David Lee White, IAHS Board Member
In 1951, the City of Ishpeming had a critical housing shortage. The city, which had about 9,000 residents (2020 census showed Ishpeming with about 6,100 residents), was home to a booming iron mining industry. The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company (CCI) alone was operating six iron mines in the Ishpeming district, em- ploying on average about 1,500 men above and below ground. The ranks of the veteran iron miners who had worked throughout World War 2 suppling the vital iron ore which had built America’s war machine, had been swelled by the returning men who fought in the European and Pacific theatres. These men and women, referred to as “The Greatest Generation” by journalist Tom Brokaw, returned to their sweethearts, found jobs and started families. A room in a boarding house would not pass muster.
Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, with a confidence in the future of the Ishpeming community and the Marquette iron ore range, sought to relieve the housing shortage with a planned development of 80 acres situated between the winter sports club area (Al Quaal Recreation Area) to the north, the Marquette County Road Commission property and Ash Street (alley) and Miracle Street (alley) on the south, Prairie Avenue on the west, and Walnut Street and Mather Avenue on the east. The community would be called the Cliffs Eighth Addition and would contain 261 lots, mainly residential with 10 lots designated as Residential B where certain commercial construction would be allowed. CCI announced that its objective with regards to the Cliffs Eighth Addition was solely altruistic, had no intention of realizing any profit, and would build homes that were within reach of the average resident. CCI employees in the Ishpeming and Negaunee districts would be given priority.
Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, with a confidence in the future of the Ishpeming community and the Marquette iron ore range, sought to relieve the housing shortage with a planned development of 80 acres situated between the winter sports club area (Al Quaal Recreation Area) to the north, the Marquette County Road Commission property and Ash Street (alley) and Miracle Street (alley) on the south, Prairie Avenue on the west, and Walnut Street and Mather Avenue on the east. The community would be called the Cliffs Eighth Addition and would contain 261 lots, mainly residential with 10 lots designated as Residential B where certain commercial construction would be allowed. CCI announced that its objective with regards to the Cliffs Eighth Addition was solely altruistic, had no intention of realizing any profit, and would build homes that were within reach of the average resident. CCI employees in the Ishpeming and Negaunee districts would be given priority.
The Cliffs Realty Company (CRC) was formed by CCI with the responsibility of platting the lots, site improvements, installing sanitary sewer and water lines, grading and hard surfacing the streets, installing curbs and gutters, installing sidewalks, and making available electric service and telephone lines. CRC planned to jump start Cliffs Eighth Addition by building 100 homes by the end of 1951, by June, CRC had award- ed construction contracts for about 100 houses. More than 100 lots would be made available for residents who wanted to plan and build their own home, as long as the construction met with the standards of the development. Two of the lots at the extreme north-east corner of the development would be made available to the Ishpeming Ski Club for the construction of a national ski museum.
The homes to be built by CRC were of two basic types. Series “A” houses are so designed that a room or rooms may be completed on the second floor. Series “B” houses are designed with no second-floor rooms. In order to avoid monotony, the front of the homes will have 12 variations available, making 24 variations in the exterior appearance of the home. There were also additions available to the basic plans such as attached or detached garages, extra bedrooms on the first or second floors, and enlarged kitchens. CRC planned on working with prospective buyers as to the location of the lot, series “A” or “B” house, and any of the avail- able additions to the home. The plan was to “scatter” the homes built by CRC throughout the development instead of bunching them together in one section.
The 1951 CCI annual report for CRC stated that “The construction work, both in grading of the plat and the building of the houses, was hampered very seriously by wet weather, which continued through the summer and fall. The result was that there were no dwellings actually completed and ready for sale by the end of the year, but it is hoped that with favorable breakup next spring the streets can be completed so that they will be passable, and we are looking forward to the sale of all these dwell- ings. We have a large list of applications for individual lots, and these will be offered for sale during the coming year (1952), and we believe will be in good demand.”
The 1952 CCI annual report for CRC announced that all 100 homes planned and constructed by CRC had been completed. “53 of these houses were sold during the year. Six were sold to the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company and four to the Negaunee Mine Company, and 43 to individuals. Also, there were ten houses occupied on a rental-purchase agreement, leaving 37 to dispose of as of December 31, 1952.” In addition, the report states “...22 lots were sold to individuals and one lot was deeded to Abel Niemi in connection with his farm which was located at this site, leaving 138 lots to dispose of as of December 31, 1952. The average price of the new homes sold during 1952 was $13,200 and the average price of individual lots sold was $1,590, ranging from $1,100 to $2,200.
The 1953 CCI annual report stated “The construction work on the housing project (Cliffs Eighth Addition) was completed and also the work of building streets, side- walks, curbs, etc. At the end of the year, 95 houses had been sold, and also 33 vacant lots.” The remainder of the 100 houses built by CRC were occupied by Mining Department employees on a rental basis. By the end of 1953, 128 vacant lots were still available for purchase.
The homes to be built by CRC were of two basic types. Series “A” houses are so designed that a room or rooms may be completed on the second floor. Series “B” houses are designed with no second-floor rooms. In order to avoid monotony, the front of the homes will have 12 variations available, making 24 variations in the exterior appearance of the home. There were also additions available to the basic plans such as attached or detached garages, extra bedrooms on the first or second floors, and enlarged kitchens. CRC planned on working with prospective buyers as to the location of the lot, series “A” or “B” house, and any of the avail- able additions to the home. The plan was to “scatter” the homes built by CRC throughout the development instead of bunching them together in one section.
The 1951 CCI annual report for CRC stated that “The construction work, both in grading of the plat and the building of the houses, was hampered very seriously by wet weather, which continued through the summer and fall. The result was that there were no dwellings actually completed and ready for sale by the end of the year, but it is hoped that with favorable breakup next spring the streets can be completed so that they will be passable, and we are looking forward to the sale of all these dwell- ings. We have a large list of applications for individual lots, and these will be offered for sale during the coming year (1952), and we believe will be in good demand.”
The 1952 CCI annual report for CRC announced that all 100 homes planned and constructed by CRC had been completed. “53 of these houses were sold during the year. Six were sold to the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company and four to the Negaunee Mine Company, and 43 to individuals. Also, there were ten houses occupied on a rental-purchase agreement, leaving 37 to dispose of as of December 31, 1952.” In addition, the report states “...22 lots were sold to individuals and one lot was deeded to Abel Niemi in connection with his farm which was located at this site, leaving 138 lots to dispose of as of December 31, 1952. The average price of the new homes sold during 1952 was $13,200 and the average price of individual lots sold was $1,590, ranging from $1,100 to $2,200.
The 1953 CCI annual report stated “The construction work on the housing project (Cliffs Eighth Addition) was completed and also the work of building streets, side- walks, curbs, etc. At the end of the year, 95 houses had been sold, and also 33 vacant lots.” The remainder of the 100 houses built by CRC were occupied by Mining Department employees on a rental basis. By the end of 1953, 128 vacant lots were still available for purchase.
Original Ski Hall of Fame located on Mather Ave.
An article in the July 13, 1954 issue of the Mining Journal was titled “Cliffs Eighth Addition Rapidly Turning into Ishpeming Showplace.” The article went on to call the development, a Summer-Winter Mecca. “The Winter Sports Area has been located there for several years and has been a perennial mecca for skiers and tobogganists in the winter and picnickers and sightseers in the summer. The Winter Sports Clubhouse there has served as a cheerful gathering place for scores of meetings.” The National Ski Museum (eventually designated the National Ski Hall of Fame) built by the Ishpeming Ski Club was dedicated in February 1954.
The article goes on to describe the planned “Miracle Circle Center” which will boast “three full floors” and will be 160 feet long and 80 feet wide. “The lower lev- el will contain a modern, 12-lane bowling alley.” The only other city in the Upper Peninsula to boast a 12-lane bowling alley was Sault Ste. Marie. “The main floor will have five retail store units including a drug store, furniture store and a supermarket. Five thousand square feet of office space will also be available facing Ash Street and Jopling Avenue.”
An article in the July 13, 1954 issue of the Mining Journal was titled “Cliffs Eighth Addition Rapidly Turning into Ishpeming Showplace.” The article went on to call the development, a Summer-Winter Mecca. “The Winter Sports Area has been located there for several years and has been a perennial mecca for skiers and tobogganists in the winter and picnickers and sightseers in the summer. The Winter Sports Clubhouse there has served as a cheerful gathering place for scores of meetings.” The National Ski Museum (eventually designated the National Ski Hall of Fame) built by the Ishpeming Ski Club was dedicated in February 1954.
The article goes on to describe the planned “Miracle Circle Center” which will boast “three full floors” and will be 160 feet long and 80 feet wide. “The lower lev- el will contain a modern, 12-lane bowling alley.” The only other city in the Upper Peninsula to boast a 12-lane bowling alley was Sault Ste. Marie. “The main floor will have five retail store units including a drug store, furniture store and a supermarket. Five thousand square feet of office space will also be available facing Ash Street and Jopling Avenue.”
June 1, 1955 saw the grand opening of the Miracle Circle Shopping Center, the first modern shopping center to be built in the Upper Peninsula. Located in Cliffs Eighth Addition, the shopping center was bounded by Ash, Jopling, and Mather Streets and the Marquette County Road Commission Shops. As reported in the Mining Journal “The Miracle Bowl (a bowling alley), completely air-conditioned, 12-lane set-up unequalled in this region, was the first unit completed, followed quickly by the adjoining Miracle Lounge and the Miracle Coffee Shop. Selin’s Furniture Store, featuring the largest furniture display floor in the region, opened in the middle of the block, and was followed shortly by the ultramodern IGA Foodliner Grocery, Johnson’s new Walgreen Drug Store and Evelyn’s Beauty Shop are the latest tenants to move in.”
A special grand opening insert in the May 31, 1955 issue of the Mining Journal included an article with the headline “100 Persons Employed At Big ‘Center.” The article continued “Ishpeming – Completion of the Miracle Circle means an addition to the salaried income of the community, for when all 12 units are in complete operation, there will be approximately 100 persons em- ployed at the Shopping Center.” The article ended on a very optimistic note “The success and progress of the American way of life has been made possible by a pioneering spirit and a willingness to gamble on the future of this country, as is exemplified by the planners and builders of the first modern shopping center to be constructed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”
The special grand opening insert for the new shopping center also had an article titled “8th Addition is Miracle in City Growth.” This article had a very positive message for the new Cliffs Eighth Addition “Rapid growth of the Eighth Addition, site of the Miracle Circle Shopping Center, has been one of the convincing demonstrations of the growth of Ishpeming and its capacity for expansion. From a rolling elevated countryside, overlooking the winter sports area, the site was platted. Then came that period where it looked dusty, dirty, as huge machinery came in, scraped away sod, graded the area to its present levels. Excavation, frame work, homes, steadily rose out of the foundations. Graded streets replaced rutted passageways, homes were painted, topsoil brought in, lawns sprouted, streets were paved, sidewalks installed. Now...Miracle Circle adds to the touch of suburban living. In a matter of months, from rolling fields, to suburban life, with children playing in the streets, TV antenna rising from rooftops, cars parked in driveways and at curbing. The Eighth Addition itself, is in the Miracle class and there’s class to Miracle Center.”
Parents of young children in the Cliffs Eighth Addition must have been very pleased when the new Birchview Elementary School opened for classroom instruction on September 2, 1958. Principal Lillian Rowe was on hand to welcome 247 students, kindergarten through 5th grade for classes. The new school, with a price tag of over $401,000 was located on the north side of Popular Street in the north west corner of the new development. 1971 saw a significant expansion to the school.
Religious worship found a home in Cliffs Eighth Addition with the move of St. Joseph Catholic Church to Prairie Avenue in 1964 and Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church to Mather Avenue in 1962. Eventually, 235 homes in total were built in the Cliffs Eighth Addition, greatly easing the Ishpeming housing shortage that spurred its origin. To this day, the Cliffs Eighth Addition remains a very popular residential neighborhood with its homes in high demand.
A special grand opening insert in the May 31, 1955 issue of the Mining Journal included an article with the headline “100 Persons Employed At Big ‘Center.” The article continued “Ishpeming – Completion of the Miracle Circle means an addition to the salaried income of the community, for when all 12 units are in complete operation, there will be approximately 100 persons em- ployed at the Shopping Center.” The article ended on a very optimistic note “The success and progress of the American way of life has been made possible by a pioneering spirit and a willingness to gamble on the future of this country, as is exemplified by the planners and builders of the first modern shopping center to be constructed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”
The special grand opening insert for the new shopping center also had an article titled “8th Addition is Miracle in City Growth.” This article had a very positive message for the new Cliffs Eighth Addition “Rapid growth of the Eighth Addition, site of the Miracle Circle Shopping Center, has been one of the convincing demonstrations of the growth of Ishpeming and its capacity for expansion. From a rolling elevated countryside, overlooking the winter sports area, the site was platted. Then came that period where it looked dusty, dirty, as huge machinery came in, scraped away sod, graded the area to its present levels. Excavation, frame work, homes, steadily rose out of the foundations. Graded streets replaced rutted passageways, homes were painted, topsoil brought in, lawns sprouted, streets were paved, sidewalks installed. Now...Miracle Circle adds to the touch of suburban living. In a matter of months, from rolling fields, to suburban life, with children playing in the streets, TV antenna rising from rooftops, cars parked in driveways and at curbing. The Eighth Addition itself, is in the Miracle class and there’s class to Miracle Center.”
Parents of young children in the Cliffs Eighth Addition must have been very pleased when the new Birchview Elementary School opened for classroom instruction on September 2, 1958. Principal Lillian Rowe was on hand to welcome 247 students, kindergarten through 5th grade for classes. The new school, with a price tag of over $401,000 was located on the north side of Popular Street in the north west corner of the new development. 1971 saw a significant expansion to the school.
Religious worship found a home in Cliffs Eighth Addition with the move of St. Joseph Catholic Church to Prairie Avenue in 1964 and Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church to Mather Avenue in 1962. Eventually, 235 homes in total were built in the Cliffs Eighth Addition, greatly easing the Ishpeming housing shortage that spurred its origin. To this day, the Cliffs Eighth Addition remains a very popular residential neighborhood with its homes in high demand.