The Clark Equipment Company Complex in Buchanan has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, one of 19 Michigan locations added to the list in 2023.
Buchanan Assistant Director of Community Development Ashley Regal tells us the effort to get that Clark property on the list has been going on for about two years, and it’s not the only Buchanan site to get the designation.
“Oakridge Cemetery just got added, the Clark campus, and then we have some other things slated for next year, including some neighborhoods,” Regal said. “We’re working hard on that effort. We think it’s really important.”
Regal says Clark Manufacturing was a major employer in Buchanan from the early 1900s all the way through the 1980s. It was gone by the 90s, but its fingerprints are still all over town.
“Clark used to have a ton of buildings, and we’re down to only a few remaining ones. Even city hall is one of them. I think that’s where they had HR. It’s all throughout our community.”
Regal says getting the Clark property added to the National Register of Historic Places helps to preserve and recognize “authentic Buchanan.”
Of the 19 Michigan properties added to the list year, six are in Detroit and three are in Grand Rapids. Michigan has almost 2,000 historic places.
