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118 N. Michigan Avenue: A Connection To Prohibition

Ralph Izzo rose early each morning, walked downstairs and readied his fruit shop for the day.  If he thought about it all, he might have been proud of how far he’d come.  

Born Raffaele Izzo in the small Italian village of San Potito Sannitico (about 40 miles north of Naples), he left home in 1888 at the age of 23 and made his way to Saginaw where he joined and worked with his brother who owned a grocery at 512 W. Washington. 

The P C Andre Building: 110-112 N. Michigan Avenue

The Backstory: About Peter C. Andre and His Buildings

Although the exact date of construction is unknown, the building at 110-112 N. Michigan Avenue is identified on the 1877 Saginaw plat map, another of P. C. Andre's projects.

The first floor has always had two retail spaces, divided by a staircase leading to the second floor which originally had two apartments. 

Meet Peter C. Andre and His Old Town Buildings

Like all cities, Saginaw's story is the story of the people who shaped it and who are still shaping it today.  Among them was Peter C. Andre, an early pioneer who served as Mayor from 1863-1865 and again in 1883 - and who left his mark that is still visible today.

Born in Detroit in 1817, Andre settled in Saginaw in 1846 when there were fewer than 900 people.  Along the river, he initially established a fur-trading post at which many of his customers were indigenous Chippewas whose language he learned to speak fluently.  

Saginaw: A Brief History

Saginaw's vibrant present and bright future rests on the foundation of its rich and storied past. 

First settled in 1822, the U.S. Military built Fort Saginaw where Court and Hamilton Streets now intersect. 

Within a year, the military abandoned the fort. Fur traders and farmers took over the buildings, a small settlement took root and Saginaw's earliest commercial ventures sprouted.