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Willis Avenue Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	50 West Willis Street Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates	42°21′5.6″N 83°3′43.41″W / 42.351556°N 83.0620583°W / 42.351556; -83.0620583
Built	1916
Architect	Detroit Edison Company
Architectural style	Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Colonial Revival
MPS	Cass Farm MPS
NRHP reference No.	97001097
Added to NRHP	September 22, 1997

The Willis Avenue Station is a steam production plant used in Detroit's district steam heating system. The plant is located at 50 West Willis Street, near Woodward Avenue, in the center of the city's Midtown Detroit neighborhood. Built and owned by the Detroit Edison Company, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

History

Detroit Edison was organized in 1903 to build and operate electric plants in Detroit. The Willis Avenue station was the first steam power substation used by Detroit Edison for the production of steam heat. Three other plants serve the central heating district of Detroit.

When the plant first went on line in 1904, there were 3,000 feet (910 m) of mains in place, serving only 12 customers. During the summer of that year, an additional 10,000 feet (3,000 m) of mains were constructed, and the infrastructure was increased as the years passed. By the mid-1940s, there were 42 miles (68 km) of underground mains and serving approximately 1,650 customers. During that time, the Willis Avenue Plant was updated and altered numerous times to serve the heating needs of the community, especially between 1916-1927. The station continues to serve the Cass Farm Survey Area.

Henry Ford

This station in located near the original location of an electric generating sub-station owned and operated by the Edison Illuminating Company. It began operation in 1886. Henry Ford began his career with the Edison Illuminating Company on September 25, 1891 assigned to this substation as a Steam Engineer, working the 6:00pm to 6:00am shift.

See also

• Holly Steam Combination Company

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. ^ Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station Archived October 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine from the city of Detroit

v t e Industrial landmarks in metropolitan Detroit
City	Antietam Avenue Bridge Cass Motor Sales Chestnut Street Bridge Crescent Brass and Pin Company Building Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station Dry Dock Complex Edwin S. George Building Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Globe Tobacco Building Graybar Electric Company Building Michigan Bell and Western Electric Warehouse Milwaukee Junction New Amsterdam Historic District Stroh River Place (Parke-Davis Plant) Riverwalk Hotel (Parke-Davis Laboratory) Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District Frederic M. Sibley Lumber Company Office Building Frederick Stearns Building The Russell Stuber-Stone Building West Jefferson Avenue–Rouge River Bridge
Suburban	Ford River Rouge Complex Ford Valve Plant The Henry Ford Willow Run
See also List of Registered Historic Places in Michigan

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Lists by county	Alcona Alger Allegan Alpena Antrim Arenac Baraga Barry Bay Benzie Berrien Branch Calhoun Cass Charlevoix Cheboygan Chippewa Clare Clinton Crawford Delta Dickinson Eaton Emmet Genesee Gladwin Gogebic Grand Traverse Gratiot Hillsdale Houghton Huron Ingham Ionia Iosco Iron Isabella Jackson Kalamazoo Kalkaska Kent Keweenaw Lake Lapeer Leelanau Lenawee Livingston Luce Mackinac Macomb Manistee Marquette Mason Mecosta Menominee Midland Missaukee Monroe Montcalm Montmorency Muskegon Newaygo Oakland Oceana Ogemaw Ontonagon Osceola Oscoda Otsego Ottawa Presque Isle Roscommon Saginaw Sanilac Schoolcraft Shiawassee St. Clair St. Joseph Tuscola Van Buren Washtenaw Wayne Detroit Wexford
Other lists	Bridges Historic districts Houses Michigan State Historic Sites (listings) National Historic Landmarks Properties of religious function Railway stations

• National Register of Historic Places in Detroit
• Energy infrastructure completed in 1916
• DTE Energy
• Colonial Revival architecture in Michigan
• Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
• Historic district contributing properties in Michigan
• Energy infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places
• District heating in the United States
• Industrial buildings and structures in Detroit