You've got some tall ones, Jackson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's an attractive downtown. All I knew of Jackson was the area near the Amtrak station, which incidentally is a must-see. It's handsomely restored to it's 19th-century appearance insde and out, and still hosts regular passenger trains.

I get a kick out of these baby skyscrapers.  One wonders about the view, too, from the upper floors.  I have not heard of this place until this or maybe those skyscraper forums.  Yet it has a "taller" downtown than some places where you'd expect more high rises.

^It was actually the birthplace of the Republican Party, so it's in the history books.

 

I traveled to Jackson quite frequently as a kid, and dare I say, it's actually in a little better shape right now than it used to be. Downtown is pretty much the same- gritty, not much infill in vacant lots, but still a solid main drag with surviving retail and those abnormally tall buildings for a city this size. Some of the differences are in the Victorian district. There have been a lot of rehabs of historic homes, and the neighborhood looks great. Jackson also has a beautiful historic high school (one of the prettiest I've ever seen), a symphony orchestra, downtown lofts, a functioning Amtrak station, Albert Kahn buildings, and St. Mary Star of the Sea:

 

On the right of this photo

 

Not many cities this size have a huge Catholic church like this downtown. It's nearly 200 feet tall and in perfect shape. The elementary school is still open too. Jackson is a damaged city, but there is actually a lot of stuff that will surprise you. Most of its losses occurred in the 60's and 70's. It seems to be leveling off right now. There are a lot of big buildings that look out of place, which makes me think this used to be a very wealthy city. They've done a decent job preserving them given the economy there. I think it helps that it serves as the urban hub of the Irish Hills area, so it likely brings in some outside money from the Ann Arbor and Toledo areas.

 

I used to think Jackson was the Lima of Michigan, but I was dead wrong. The downtown has more retail, there is more surviving Victorian, there are more attractions/amenities, and above all, it's not a cornfield city. Jackson is located in a pretty densely forested area. I visited in fall last year, and it was beautiful.

Thanks for the pictures.  I make it out to Jackson every now and then.  There used to be a good deal of urban exploring to do there however some of the places I use to frequent have been demolished or restored.  Like other people before me have said when I first visited I was really suprised at how tall some of the buildings were.

One wonders about the view, too, from the upper floors.

 

Here it is.  I took this back in 2006 from the office of the mayor...which is just as cool as the view.

 

Thanks ink for the tour!

Wow..thanks...that view shows what was said that this place is not in cornfields, but in woods.  Very nice!

 

So, what is the story behind the skyscrapers?  Why so tall?  Was it because skyscrapers where the thing to have back in olden days...one wasnt a proper 'city'  or business if one didnt have a skyscraper?  So they were built even if they didnt need to go so high?

^It was actually the birthplace of the Republican Party, so it's in the history books.

 

I traveled to Jackson quite frequently as a kid, and dare I say, it's actually in a little better shape right now than it used to be. Downtown is pretty much the same- gritty, not much infill in vacant lots, but still a solid main drag with surviving retail and those abnormally tall buildings for a city this size. Some of the differences are in the Victorian district. There have been a lot of rehabs of historic homes, and the neighborhood looks great. Jackson also has a beautiful historic high school (one of the prettiest I've ever seen), a symphony orchestra, downtown lofts, a functioning Amtrak station, Albert Kahn buildings, and St. Mary Star of the Sea:

 

i think you are right on about that. hard to say, but in this thread it looks better than i recall, although emptier.

 

it would be pretty sweet to live up in one of those towers with the dramatic views.

 

makes me wonder if there is any kind of chart that has how far off you can see floor by floor?

 

Thanks for that.

Wow..thanks...that view shows what was said that this place is not in cornfields, but in woods.  Very nice!

 

So, what is the story behind the skyscrapers?  Why so tall?  Was it because skyscrapers where the thing to have back in olden days...one wasnt a proper 'city'  or business if one didnt have a skyscraper?  So they were built even if they didnt need to go so high?

 

They were banks and needed the office space.  At the time, there was probably a lot less room downtown to build.  Plus the idea of building a trophy building for attention was an attractive idea.  When you think about the space the elevators and stairs take, there isn't as much office space as one might think.  Having the one building converted to city hall worked out well.  It's a very departmentalized public facility which works well on separate floors.

^The county took over one as well.

 

I wonder what the future holds for the super narrow and deep tower.

As others have noted, that's quite an array of talls for a city the size of Jackson.  Wonderful pics ink.  I took a trip around the Midwest about 10 years ago and got quite a kick out of seeing the downtown.  The CMS tower wasn't completed then, so it's nice to see it done.  Thanks.

Wow, what a suprisingly nice downtown for a city that size :?

I never knew this place existed, but now I know!  Thanks, ink, for helping educate this old arm-chair traveler!

I grew up in Howell, about 40 minutes from Jackson.  Although Lansing, Flint, Battle Creek, and Ann Arbor are bigger cities, Jackson has the best downtown.  Jackson has a restored movie palace, a beautifully restored historic High School, lofts, gorgeous Carnegie Library, and great Art Deco skyscrapers and Victorians.  There is also (if memory serves) a restored Post Office and train depot, and a few downtown antique stores. It's a great place to explore for historic architecture fans.  The scenery around the area is also beautiful.  It's not a flat and boring landscape at all.

 

In spite Jackson's strengths, the economy is dire and jobs are hard to come by, which is why I moved to Pittsburgh back in 2007 (which reminded me of a big version of Jackson).  Locals never have anything positive to say about Jackson. It amazes me that people can be so negative about the city, when it has so many things going for it, and in spite of the odds against it.