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Photograph of Niles Downtown Historic District
Photograph by Chris Light, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Niles Downtown Historic District

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

From the record

“The Niles Downtown Historic District is a commercial historic district located in Niles, Michigan along Sycamore, Main and Cedar Streets between Front and 5th. The districts was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.”

Wikipedia article Niles Downtown Historic District, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 32 National Register listings published here for Berrien County · listed in 2007 · category: District.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • Address. Sycamore, Main and Cedar bet. Front and 5th, Niles, 49120
  • When was it listed? June 2007
  • Category. district
  • City. Niles city
  • National Register reference number. 07000568 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

25 since 2018

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 25 fires within 5 miles of Niles Downtown Historic District between 2018 and 2020, burning about 27 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined15
Equipment and vehicle use10

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 September 2019Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesNILES TOWNSHIP FD 2019309 - 2019
27 September 2020Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesBUCHANAN TOWNSHIP FD 68 - 2020
31 August 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesHOWARD TOWNSHIP VFD 2019278 - 2019
27 July 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesHOWARD TOWNSHIP VFD 2019238 - 2019
22 May 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesHOWARD TOWNSHIP VFD 2018131 - 2018
17 May 2018Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesNILES TOWNSHIP FD 2018156 - 2018
13 May 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesBERTRAND TOWNSHIP FD 2020027 - 2020
1 May 2018Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesNILES TOWNSHIP FD 2018132 - 2018

Every fire recorded in Berrien County

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Niles Downtown Historic District: 1 producer, 1 past producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Kiell Pit & MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Three S Pit & MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Berrien County

Storms near this property

33 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Niles, the town this property stands in, in 33 storm reports between 1997 and 2023: 23 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 3 tornado, 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 1998Tornado (F1)Niles$1,100,000EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TREES ACROSS THE CITY WHICH BLOCKED 15 SEPARATE STREETS AT ONE TIME. 60 HOMES DAMAGED SUSTAINED MINOR TO SEVERE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. MANY VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED BY FALLEN TREES AND LIMBS. SEVERAL POWER POLES AND LINES TAKEN OUT. THE FRENCH PAPER COMPANY LOST ROOFS ON THREE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS AS DID THE D&D TIRE COMPANY WHICH HAD ITS WAREHOUSE ROOF RIPPED OFF. DEMOND GROCERY STORE LOST 20K DOLLARS WORTH OF PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS DUE TO THE EXTENDED EXTENSIVE POWER OUTAGE THAT AFFECTED 41,500 PEOPLE AT ONE POINT. ONE MAN LOST 21 LARGE TREES IN HIS YARD ALONE. THE MICHIGAN STATE GOVERNOR DECLARED THE CITY OF NILES A DISASTER AREA. AN OFF DUTY MICHIGAN STATE POLICE OFFICER TRAGICALLY LOST HIS LIFE WHEN HE WAS ELECTROCUTED BY A DOWNED POWER LINE.
October 2001Tornado (F1)Niles$750,000no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindNiles$50,000Numerous trees were downed in the Niles area during the severe thunderstorm which produced estimated 70 mph winds across much of southeastern Berrien County. Falling trees downed power, phone, and cable lines. Minor damage was reported at several residences, including reports of patio furniture being swept away and a trampoline destroyed. Nearly 2 3/4 inches of rain fell in one hour at a Niles residence, with minor street flooding reported in the storm's aftermath.
June 2005LightningNiles$40,000Residents reported hearing a loud boom and a flash of light from their electrical meter box. A fire rapidly started as a result, destroying at least half the house. The damage to the house was estimated as a total determination of the damage was not available. No one was injured.
July 2007Flash FloodNiles$25,000A report of 3.61 inches of rain was received in the Niles area, with several roads having signs of partial damage from flowing water over them. Damage is estimated at $25,000.
November 1998Thunderstorm WindNiles$25,000SEVERAL TREES...TREE LIMBS...POWER LINES AND POWER POLES WERE EITHER SNAPPED OR BLOWN DOWN IN TOWN.
April 2008Thunderstorm WindNiles$10,000A local newspaper reported that a tree fell onto a car. No specifics on the car or the amount of damage was given. Damage is estimated at $10,000.
March 2023Flash FloodNiles$5,000Both lanes of traffic were flooded on Michigan Route 139 in Niles at Lincoln Ave.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindNiles$2,500Niles Police Department reported trees downed in Niles.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindNiles-WSBT relayed via Twitter a picture of a few broken tree branches.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindNiles-A couple of large tree limbs down. Time estimated from radar.
October 2021Thunderstorm WindNiles-Emergency management officials reported a three foot diameter tree was blown down.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindNiles-Local media reported through social media of several large, healthy branches down with one rotten tree severely damaged.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindNiles-Local media reported multiple trees down in the area.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindNiles-Local media reported a tree was blown down in the road.
February 2017Tornado (EF1)Niles-A NWS damage survey indicated a tornado touched down in downtown Niles, near the Eastside Elementary School. Extensive tree damage along|with minor to significant structural damage to homes occurred in |about a 5 block area of Niles Michigan. Many large trees were downed onto houses and vehicles. A city of Niles public works maintenance building also suffered damage.
June 2016HailNiles-Broadcast media shared pictures from viewers of at least one inch diameter inch hail.
October 2012Thunderstorm WindNiles-Local fire officials reported a tree was blown down near Geiger and Walton Roads, west of Old US 31.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindNiles-Nine power poles snapped.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindNiles-Law enforcement officials reported large tree limbs down as well as a few trees in the Niles and Bertrand area.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindNiles-Two trees were blown down in the town of Niles.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindNiles-Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down in Niles.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindNiles-Amateur radio reported trees down in Niles.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindNiles-Emergency management reported trees down in Bertrand.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindNiles-Law enforcement reported trees down in Niles.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindNiles-Law enforcement trees and power lines down in Niles.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindNiles-Law enforcement reported trees down in Niles.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindNiles-Power pole and street light down.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindNiles-Trees down at Library and at Hannah Rd. and Morris Dr.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindNiles-Minor wind damage to the roofs of 4 buildings.
October 2007HailNiles-no account filed
October 2007HailNiles-no account filed
August 2003HailNiles-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Berrien County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Henry A. Chapin House0.2 miles1981
Ring Lardner House0.2 miles1972
Ferry Street Historic District0.3 miles2025
Paine Bank0.5 miles1973
Old US Post Office0.5 miles1985
Niles Railroad Depot0.6 miles1979

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 07000568 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Berrien CountyAll 32 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.