One hundred years ago, a wood-burning stove factory put Dowagiac on the map with the best stoves money could buy.
The city is booming again — but this time it’s high-speed internet access, public transportation and 100 new housing starts that are firing up growth.
“Transformative developments” were in the spotlight last month at the groundbreaking of the Lincoln Neighborhood housing development at 407 E. Division St., followed by a city-hosted luncheon, “Dowagiac: Creating Tomorrow.”
The housing construction, investment in the business community, infrastructure improvements and quality of life enhancements (detailed at the event) are all part of the role the city has played in spurring progress, says Amanda Sleigh, who is Dowagiac’s assistant city manager.
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Scott Rose for City of DowagiacAmanda Sleigh, Dowagiac assistant city manager, speaking at the recent event."This is the biggest building boom since after World War II. It's been a long time coming, but here we are," said Dowagiac Mayor Don Lyons, thanking the state of Michigan, private sector and city employees for their efforts to help the city accomplish "something that would otherwise only be a dream."
Through strategic planning to address both short-term needs and long-term visions, Dowagiac is quietly making great strides on several fronts, Sleigh says.
“We have kind of kept our heads down while we're working on making real changes in the city” she says. “There's been so much coming to fruition. We really felt this was the time to step up our communication effort and really let the community know what's going on.”
Location, location, location
Driving this era of development, in part, is Dowagiac’s prime location.
A city of about 5,800 in southwest Michigan’s Cass County, Dowagiac is about 80 miles from Chicago, 175 miles from Detroit,
with Amtrak service from its downtown depot to those cities and Lansing and Ann Arbor. Service to other nearby cities like South Bend, Indiana and Grand Rapids may include “mixed service” — bus service for part of the trip.
Easy transportation and high-speed internet have expanded opportunities for people with jobs elsewhere to enjoy living in a smaller town.
“In recent years, we've had a number of people from larger cities like Chicago, Seattle, and New York move here because they've recognized our strong infrastructure and the great quality of life,” Sleigh says.
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Many work remotely, she points out, “but we're so close to everything that if they did need to commute, we have the train station in town, so it's just a quick ride into Chicago. We're within 30 minutes of all of the major communities — St Joe, South Bend, Kalamazoo,” she says.
Shifting cultures
The present vibe is a far cry from Dowagiac’s early days, when an influx of orphans, not commuters, first brought national attention to the town.
Just six years after it was first platted in 1854, Dowagiac became the final destination for the first group of orphans brought to the Midwest from New York City on the
Orphan Train.
According to Wikipedia, all but eight in that first group of 45 children found homes with local farmers and craftsmen; those who were not taken into foster homes, the youngest children of the lot, were sent on alone to Iowa City.
That same year Philo D. Beckwith settled in Dowagiac, and within 30 years, nearly a quarter of the city’s population worked at Beckwith’s
Round Oak Stove Company.
According to the
Dowagiac Area History Museum, at the company’s peak in the early 1910s, Round Oak employed 1,200 locals. In addition, Round Oak sponsored a semi-professional baseball team and the Round Oak Band; the community gathered for dances in Round Oak Hall, and in 1893, the Beckwith Memorial Building and Theatre in Dowagiac opened.
Today, Round Oak stoves are valued as collectors’ items, but the factory closed after WWII.
Moving beyond industry
It’s no factory town now. The city has played a primary role in the Dowagiac’s rejuvenation.
Supporting the business community, the city’s
Economic Development Department and the Downtown Development Authority offer one-on-one service to both new and existing businesses, help with business start-ups, expansion questions, site selection, planning and zoning, permits, and programs such as the
Facade Incentive & Architectural Design Services Program. The program awards up to $4,000 in matching funds per storefront for either the historic or renovation of front facades.
The diversity of Dowagiac’s current business community was one of the highlights of the luncheon presentation. Here’s a run-down of new business and other recent and ongoing improvements:
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The Business Center of Southwest Michigan
Digital Farms LLC purchased and revitalized this 600,000-square-foot facility at 415 E. Prairie Ronde St. to house a major data center and other businesses.
Corewell Health Primary Care Dowagiac
Corewell Health offers a full range of services for patients of all ages at its newly renovated facility at 520 South Main St.
OAK+ASH Restaurant
The city purchased a vacant downtown building at auction, divided the space into two, and sold them to new businesses. OAK+ASH Restaurant operates at 109
S. Front St.; the second space has been purchased and is being renovated before announcing its grand opening.
Nitro Zone
Michiana’s newest family entertainment center is located at 56419 Pokagon St. The multi-use space features games, laser tag, ax throwing, an indoor roller coaster, bowling lanes, food, and a full bar.
Other businesses in Dowagiac include:
• Flowers by Anna, which recently celebrated its second anniversary
• Bow Wow Bakery & Bath, under new ownership
• Isabella Grace, a crafting retreat center in the former Round Oak
Revisited Building
• ReLeaf Center
• Slope Frozen Treats
• Twisted Bee
• Ownership of the Ameriwood building has changed to a national
industrial investment and property management firm
Housing for growth
Attracting new businesses requires having space for their employees to live, and toward that end more than 100 new housing units are being constructed over the
next 18 months, including:
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Lincoln School site project
Lamoreaux Construction has broken ground on six new homes aimed at the middle housing market on the site of the former Lincoln Elementary School, vacant since 2013, at 407 E. Division St.
Wounded Minnow redevelopment
The city is working with The Rienks Group on a brownfield plan for the Wounded Minnow building at 234 and 236 S. Front St. The restaurant will remain on the lower level, and 10 apartments will be built in the second and third stories.
South Front Street
The city purchased a parcel of vacant land in the 500 block of South Front Street and is working with Rivers Edge Apartments to create a 40-unit development to provide attainable housing.
FitStop apartments
The owners of FitStop24-Dowagiac worked with the city to take advantage of grant programs to develop four apartments on the building’s second floor, three of which are income-qualified.
In the last five years, Dowagiac has worked with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to secure more than $4.5 million in grants to support new housing and improve existing housing.
Innovative infrastructure improvements
Transportation
In addition to the Amtrak station, public transportation initiatives include Dowagiac DART on Demand, a cooperative program with the Cass County Transit Authority and The Routing Company to create a competitive pilot program to add Uber-like on-demand service to its Dial-A-Ride system.
“It’s cheaper than an Uber or Lyft, because our public transportation systems are supported by tax dollars, so riders get discounted ride rates,” Sleigh says.
New water projects
The city is investing in a new water plant that will cost only slightly more than renovating and replacing the current aging facility. Additionally, the recent Division Street water project replaced nearly 2,000 feet of aging and undersized water mains and 43 lead service lines.
Dowagiac District Library
In 2021, the library completed a major expansion and renovation project that was 10 years in the making.
Fiber internet
Multiple providers are bringing fiber internet services to Dowagiac, increasing
convenience for customers and making the city an attractive destination for remote workers.
Additional infrastructure improvements include:
- New headquarters for the Dowagiac Fire Department
- New home for the Dowagiac Department of Public Services
- $10 million of upgrades to the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant are nearing completion. When completed, this plant will continue to serve the needs of both city residents and neighboring townships.
- New Dowagiac fire station under construction
Quality of life enhancements
Again, location, location, location is key for enhancing the work-life balance in Dowagiac, officials say.
The city recently worked with state and private groups to open the
Elks Trail, connecting trailheads Burling Park and Schuur Park with plans to expand to Rudolphi Woods. In addition, the city is continuing to expand water access through its ongoing program of adding a park to any spot where any road crosses Dowagiac Creek.
Other outdoor activities include:
- Opportunities for golfing, hiking, boating, biking, snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing, hunting, and more.
- The Dowagiac River is the largest cold-water river system in Southern Michigan and with Dowagiac Creek is a popular habitat for steelhead and salmon and a top destination for brown trout fishing.
Partnering for a bright future
“You know, we were a boom town at the turn of the (last) century," Sleigh says, “so like many similar communities, Dowagiac fell on hard times. But through the wise strategic planning and partnerships that our city council has created with local county and state officials, we've been working incredibly hard to create this tomorrow for our community.
“We believe in being an active participant in the viability of our community and making sure that we're ensuring a good quality of life for our residents,” she adds. “So, we're willing to invest and work really hard with our partners to show people that Dowagiac is a great place to live, work and do business.”
Rosemary Parker has worked as a writer and editor for more than 40 years. She is a regular contributor to Rural Innovation Exchange and other Issue Media Group publications.