Since 1829
A history of downtown
A village named Bronson, a creek that went underground and came back, and the first street in the nation built just for people on foot.
In shortThese are some important moments in the history of downtown Kalamazoo, from 1829 to today, in order.
Moments that made downtown
- 1829
Titus Bronson arrives
On June 21, 1829, Titus Bronson reached the site that would become Kalamazoo, the first white settler to make his home here.
- 1831
The Village of Bronson
Bronson and his brother-in-law Stephen Richardson filed the plat for the Village of Bronson on March 12, 1831. They donated land at the center of town to the county, hoping to win the county seat. Part of it became Bronson Park.
- 1836
Bronson becomes Kalamazoo
In March 1836, after a falling-out between Bronson and his neighbors, the village was renamed Kalamazoo.
- 1856
Lincoln in Bronson Park
Abraham Lincoln, then a lawyer from Illinois, spoke at a political rally in the park.
- 1873
A creek goes underground
To deal with flooding, the village and then the city began about two decades of work burying Arcadia Creek beneath downtown. By around 1930 it ran through concrete culverts.
- 1899
Bronson Park gets its name
A city ordinance in February 1899 officially named the town square Bronson Park.
- 1927
The State Theatre opens
Chicago architect John Eberson’s “atmospheric” movie palace opened at South Burdick and Lovell streets in July 1927, with seats for up to 1,300 people.
- 1940s
Curb cuts, made in Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo installed curb cuts as a pilot project, introduced by veteran and lawyer Jack H. Fischer to help veterans with disabilities get to work.
- 1959
The nation’s first pedestrian mall
On August 19, 1959, two blocks of South Burdick Street closed to cars and opened as the Kalamazoo Mall. About 50,000 people came the first day. Blocks were added in 1960 and 1975.
- 1962
The holiday parade begins
Gilmore Department Store started Kalamazoo’s holiday parade in 1962. Today it draws close to 30,000 people to the curb.
- 1990s
Arcadia Creek sees daylight
From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, redevelopment uncovered parts of Arcadia Creek and created the pond and festival site that host downtown’s summer festivals.
- 1998
One street, a few cars
On October 9, 1998, a narrow access street reopened through two blocks of the Kalamazoo Mall, with a raffle to choose the first driver since 1959.
- 1999
A band shell for the park
The Bronson Park band shell was built, a stage for the concerts and celebrations that still fill the park.
- 2018
The DEGA is created
The City Commission created the Downtown Economic Growth Authority in October 2018 to invest in downtown’s commercial corridors.
- 2020
The Social District
On August 3, 2020, the City Commission approved a downtown Social District, so people could carry a drink from a participating business along the Mall and Michigan Avenue.
- 2021
Ambassadors and a landmark
The Downtown Ambassador program launched in May. Later that year the State Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
- 2026
Something new downtown
A new Downtown Kalamazoo brand arrived, built on what people said they love: creative, welcoming, rooted. Construction was approved for new downtown plazas, and work began on rebuilding Kalamazoo Avenue.
Sources
- Kalamazoo Public Library: Titus Bronson (1788–1853) (opens in a new tab)
- Kalamazoo Public Library: Bronson Park (opens in a new tab)
- Kalamazoo Public Library: Arcadia Creek (opens in a new tab)
- Kalamazoo Public Library: The State Theatre (opens in a new tab)
- Kalamazoo Public Library: From Wheels to Heels, the Mall City (opens in a new tab)
- City of Kalamazoo: DDA & DEGA (opens in a new tab)
- Second Wave Media: Kalamazoo’s Social District (August 2020) (opens in a new tab)
- WMU News: Downtown Kalamazoo Ambassador Program launches (May 2021) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Kalamazoo: Downtown Kalamazoo Placemaking (opens in a new tab)
Read the story
Dig deeper
The Kalamazoo Public Library’s local history room has photos, maps and stories about nearly every downtown block.
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