Michigan School for the Blind

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

From the record

One of 55 National Register listings published here for Ingham County · listed in 2018 · category: District.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. 715 W. Willow St., Lansing, 48906
When was it listed? July 2018
Category. district
City. Lansing city
National Register reference number. 100002714 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

67 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 67 fires within 5 miles of Michigan School for the Blind between 1995 and 2020, burning about 65 acres in total. 5 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/undetermined	53
Natural	5
Equipment and vehicle use	4
Debris and open burning	3
Recreation and ceremony	2

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

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
30 September 2013	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	CLINTON 01 - TURNER MUCK FIRE
2 September 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	LANSING FD 0015086 - 2018
18 September 2019	Natural	1.0 acres	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	LANSING FD 0016391 - 2019
5 August 2018	Equipment and vehicle use	1.0 acres	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	LANSING TOWNSHIP FD 0000353 - 2018
24 August 2019	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	DELTA TOWNSHIP FD 1910940 - 2019
19 August 2019	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	LANSING FD 0014406 - 2019
15 August 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	EAST LANSING FD 0003100 - 2018
10 August 2019	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	DELTA TOWNSHIP FD 1910689 - 2019

Every fire recorded in Ingham County

Mines and quarries near this property

5 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Michigan School for the Blind: 3 producers, 2 past producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Briggs Company Clay Pit	Clay	Past Producer
Boichot Howe Road Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Builders Redi-Mix, Inc. Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Fiser Pit and Mill	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Wood Wash Plant	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every working recorded in Ingham County

Storms near this property

47 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lansing, the town this property stands in, in 47 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 27 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 3 tornado, 2 funnel cloud. The reports record 2 injuries. 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.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 1995	Tornado (F1)	Lansing	2 hurt, $10,000	Possible tornado touched down in Aurelius and Onondaga townships along and west of Aurelius Road from Aurelius to Kinneville Road. One to two feet diamaeter trees down/uprooted along path and damage to at least one automobile and residence and outbuildings was reported. A motor home was overturned at a campground near Leslie causing minor injuries to two adults.
April 2013	Flood	Lansing	$5,000,000	Heavy rainfall caused significant flooding on rivers and streams across Ingham county.
September 2001	Tornado (F1)	Lansing	$5,000,000	no account filed
July 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	East Lansing	$500,000	A wet microburst occurred between 4:13 and 4:18 PM EDT during a severe thunderstorm moving across East Lansing. A team of 3 scientists from Michigan State University concluded the most severe storm damage occurred between the East Lansing Library and Hagadorn Road, while the damage path extended from roughly Harrison Road and Saginaw Street in an east-southeast direction to Park Lake Road and Grand River Avenue. The MSU geology professors determined damage patterns east of Hagadorn Road suggested that another pulse of air may have come down near Hagadorn and Cahill Drive. Damage consisted of downed trees and damaged roofs. Four homes received noticeable damage, mostly by being hit by trees. Three cars were crushed by falling trees. In addition, one utility pole was snapped and power lines were downed by falling trees, cutting power to 2,000 customers of Consumers Energy. Almost all trees fell to the east. Fallen trees blocked off many East Lansing streets after the storm. No injuries were reported.
August 2007	Tornado (EF1)	Lansing	$300,000	An EF-1 tornado struck Ingham county south and east of the city of Lansing. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph. The track of the tornado was six miles long and 200 to 300 yards wide. \|\|The first sign of damage was near the intersections of Waverly and M-99. Significant damage occurred at the Stonegate mobile home park south of M-99. Many trees were down there and some fell on mobile homes. The damage path continued northeast toward I-96 across Grovenburg Road. \|\|More tree damage was found on the north side of I-96 along Haag Road. The damage path continued northeast across Miller Road through neighborhoods where numerous oak trees were blown down, some onto homes.
August 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	East Lansing	$250,000	Numerous trees, limbs and power lines were brought down.
August 2003	Hail	East Lansing	$100,000	Numerous reports of large hail were received from across Ingham county, including reports of one inch hail in East Lansing, two miles east of East Lansing, and six miles northeast of Mason. A report of one inch hail was also received from three miles east of Mason. One and one half inch diameter hail was reported in Dansville and three miles east of Mason. One inch hail was also reported in Webberville.
May 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$100,000	Wind damage included numerous trees and power lines that were downed. A 70 mile per hour wind gust was recorded in East St. Johns. 0.75" hail was observed in Lansing.
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$50,000	Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Lansing and several trees were blown down in Williamston.
June 2005	Hail	Lansing	$50,000	no account filed
July 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$50,000	no account filed
October 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$50,000	no account filed
November 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$25,000	A peak wind gust of 61 mph was reported at Lansing.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$25,000	A trained spotter measured a 78 m.p.h. wind gust along Mt. Hope avenue.
April 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$20,000	Strong winds blew the roof off a two-story bank building.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$15,000	A wind gust to 55 knots was measured at WLNS tv. Several trees and limbs and power lines were blown down.
August 2003	Hail	Lansing	$15,000	One inch diameter hail was reported in East Lansing and three quarters inch hail was observed in Lansing.
October 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$15,000	Several trees and utility lights were blown down in Lansing.
June 2004	Hail	Lansing	$10,000	A trained spotter reported three quarters inch diameter hail at the intersection of Mt. Hope and Morris River Drive in Lansing.
September 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$10,000	Thunderstorm wind gusts blew down several trees in the south side of Lansing.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	East Lansing	$10,000	Several large trees were blown down along Durand and Bailey Streets in East Lansing. No significant structural damage was reported.
July 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	East Lansing	$10,000	Six inch diameter trees were downed in East Lansing.
August 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$10,000	no account filed
August 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$5,000	Several power lines were blown down in Lansing.
June 2004	Hail	Lansing	$5,000	Three quarters inch hail was reported at Mt. Hope and Waverly roads.
April 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$5,000	Lightning struck one high power pole. Thunderstorm winds downed four adjacent poles and lines along Elm Avenue, west of Cedar Street.
August 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$3,000	no account filed
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$2,500	Ingham County Central Dispatch and reported several trees and power lines down in Lansing.
August 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	$1,000	no account filed
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	East Lansing	$500	An 18" diameter tree was uprooted on Jolly Road in East Lansing.
March 2026	Flood	Lansing	-	Water covering US-127 at Grand River Avenue.
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	-	Trees down on Kensington Road.
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	East Lansing	-	Multiple trees and wires down.
April 2024	Hail	Lansing	-	Numerous reports of hail of around an inch in diameter were received in the vicinity of Lansing.
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	-	A county official reported that multiple trees were uprooted near the intersection of E Kalamazoo Street and Shepard Street.
June 2009	Hail	Lansing	-	A Cocorahs observer reported hail up to the size of quarters fell one mile east of Lansing.
June 1998	Hail	Lansing	-	Lansing City Police reported quarter-sized hail in downtown Lansing at 9:25 pm EDT.
July 1997	Funnel Cloud	East Lansing	-	The Meridian Township Public Safety Department relayed a civilian report of a funnel cloud near the intersection of Hagadorn and Haslett Roads. Thirty seconds after the civilian report was received, a Meridian Township officer spotted a funnel cloud travelling southeast over Okemos Road and Gaylord C. Smith Drive. The funnel cloud did not touch the ground and no damage was reported.
April 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	East Lansing	-	Trees downed.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	-	60 mph wind gust estimated by Skywarn Spotter.
April 1994	Hail	East Lansing	-	Nickel-sized hail was reported by East Lansing police.
April 1994	Hail	East Lansing	-	Hail of 0.75 inch was reported by an off duty weather service employee.
April 1993	Hail	Lansing	-	Hail up to 1.00 inch in diameter fell at the intersection of Interstate 496 and Cedar Street in Lansing. No damage was reported.
February 1997	Flash Flood	Lansing	-	no account filed
September 1996	Funnel Cloud	Lansing	-	no account filed
August 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Lansing	-	no account filed
August 1996	Flash Flood	Lansing	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Ingham 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.

Property	Distance	Listed
Smith-Turner House	0.3 miles	1980
Genesee Street School	0.5 miles	2014
Pulver Brothers Filling Station	0.5 miles	2016
Franklin Avenue Presbyterian Church	0.5 miles	1988
Brown-Price House	0.6 miles	1984
Dodge Mansion	0.6 miles	1972

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 100002714 in Record Group 79.
Ingham County	All 55 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.