105 North Ann Arbor Street

105 North Ann Arbor Street
Date of Construction: 1916

Photo by Lori Swick
February 2013

Architectural Description: This is a two-story, red brick building with a wide band of concrete (etched with the words "Saline Library") across the top of the façade. The centrally-placed entry door, protected by a flat roof, is located below a center plate glass window. Two tall rectangular plate glass windows flank the doorway and extend to the upper concrete band. A thin band of concrete beneath the windows lends balance to the façade.

History: This building, now home to the Drowsy Parrot, was originally the Saline Library, built ca. 1916. The library was first organized by a group of civic-minded women in 1900, operating out of a small building in the rear of the Citizen's Bank. By 1916, library circulation had grown and required a larger space. William and Zilpha Davenport paid for the construction of the new library at 105 North Ann Arbor Street (Shackman). The library remained in this location until 1968, when it was converted into Larder’s Bookstore. The Drowsy Parrot has been located in this location since 1992.

Sources:
"Historic District Study Committee Report for the North Ann Arbor Street Local Historic District." 2004

Kosky & Glynn Associates. "Historical and Architectural Survey." Saline, Michigan. 1994.

Saline Area Historical Society photos available through the Saline District Library: http://saline.lib.mi.us/

Shackman, Grace. "Building Bookshelves." Ann Arbor Community Observer, 2005. http://aaobserver.aadl.org/aaobserver/36220

Suggested Reading: McAlester, Virginia & Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1984.

Prepared by Lori Swick
April 17, 2013