147-Year-Old Papers Found Behind Wall at Island Business
By Karen Gould

At right: One of the earliest pictures of the building that now houses Edward's Gifts (right), a Bromilow, Bates & Co. sign hangs above the Main Street entrance. In this photograph taken between 1865-1870, the changes to the structure including a balcony and Italianate window hoods have not taken place. Steve Brisson, curator for Mackinac State Historic Parks, estimates those changes were made to the structure in the 1870s or early 1880s. As pictured here, no buildings are constructed on the south side of Main Street, women are in long dress, dogs roam the street, and flower baskets hang from the balcony of the Indian Bakery next door. (Photograph courtesy of Mackinac State Historic Parks)

Clothed in multi-layers against winter's chill, five Island carpenters move about an unheated downtown Mackinac Island building calling out needed wood dimensions between the intermittent whine of a power saw and the sound of pounding hammers. The men are from Mackinac Woodworks and they are in the midst of a six-month remodeling project at Edward's Gifts.

The receipts are from The Lake Superior and Lake Michigan Fish House with a Chicago, Illinois, address. The sale for half barrels of fish is to the E.E. Bromilow & Co., also a Chicago business.

The work has brought unexpected discoveries. Receipts dating back 147 years were found behind a wall and the carpenters have uncovered evidence of a third floor or attic.

Situated on the corner of Main and Astor streets, the wood-sided retail shop has been owned by Al Arbib since 1998. The building and business, he said, has been owned and operated by his family since 1934.

Estimated to be built in the mid-1800s, the structure is a contributing building to Mackinac Island's National Historic Landmark designation.

The sale and remodeling of the neighboring Astor Street building, said Mr. Arbib, stimulated his remodeling project.

Up until last fall, Edward's Gifts shared a water or sewer line with the Astor Street Cafe and Mustang Lounge. At one time, Edward's Gifts and the two other businesses had the same owner. When the Mustang project got underway, said Mr. Arbib, the timing was perfect to add the utility lines. With that started, he said, the remodeling project easily followed.

Standing in front of a hand-hewn angle brace, Matt Myers, whose crew is remodeling Edward's Gifts, holds one of two receipts dated 1861 that were found when second walls were removed. With walls opened up and work underway, a striking contrast between old and new wood is visible as original posts will remain in place with the support of new lumber.

"The building is getting pretty darn old," said Mr. Arbib, "and needed work."

Contractor Matt Myers agreed.

"The building," he said, "hasn't been touched in some spots for a hundred-plus years."

The remodeling project covers the entire structure and includes renovations to the first-floor retail shop, foundation work, and second-floor remodeling.

"We have tried to preserve the old building, but we had to bring it up to code." said Mr. Arbib. "Most of the work won't show on the outside."

Work includes the addition of a sprinkling system, new electrical wiring, new fixtures, and air conditioning in the first-floor retail shop. The walls on both floors have been stripped in preparation for insulation and drywall. The building is unheated except for a small room upstairs that serves as a break area and temporary office where the crew reviews project plans.

Construction debris is removed from the second floor of Edward's Gifts as crews remodel the inside of the mid-1800s building. The Main Street structure contributes to the Mackinac Island's National Historic Landmark status. Removed years ago, a second-floor balcony was once attached to the front and side of the building.

The project includes foundation work, because the Mustang foundation was repaired. The foundations of repaired. The foundations of the two buildings adjoin each other, he said, and they even share a footing in one spot.

Normally, his crew works five days a week, although when the work affects both Edward's Gifts and the Mustang project, the men have worked on a few Saturdays.

"It's very fortunate we are doing these two projects at the same time," he said. "That's been a good thing for everybody."

One noticeable change is planned for the outside of the building. Restoration of the side doorway that leads to the second floor will be converted back to a double door entryway. At one time, part of the doorway was changed to allow the sale of ice cream through a window. Wood doors and a transom window to replicate the original doors will be added.

The second floor project includes increasing the size of the apartment and changing it from one bedroom to three bedrooms. The apartment, said Mr. Arbib, will provide lodging for employees. An upstairs office will be relocated to accommodate the new layout, and a storage area will be reduced in size. A hallway already has been added to lead to a rear doorway that exits behind the Mustang building.

While working on the inside walls of the two-story structure, two receipts were discovered, leading Mr. Myers to believe the site once was a possible storage facility or shipping point for fish for a Chicago-based firm, E.E. Bromilow & Co. The paper receipts, with a faint pencil date of 1861, are ragged and torn.

In the mid-1990s, said Mr. Myers, a second floor restaurant named the Rendezvous offered seating by the four windows that overlook Main Street.

Photographs from the 1900s show a porch that stretched across the front to the building on Main Street and wrapped around the side on Astor Street. Removed years ago, it had provided a roof for the sidewalk below.

The Italianate window hoods added on the Astor Street side of the structure do not appear in photographs taken from about 1860 through 1870, said Steve Brisson, curator for Mackinac State Historic Parks. He estimates those changes were made to the structure some time in the 1870s or early 1880s.

With walls exposed, handhewn post and beam construction is revealed and nowempty angle braces would have supported a third floor. The top floor, said Mr. Myers, which was removed long ago, did not affect the outside appearance of the building.

The old wood that remains is out of level and new wood has been added as support and for studs in preparation for hanging drywall.

The remodeling project began in November. Mr. Myers calls it "a fairly typical winter construction project" for the Island, with a tight schedule. The work begins as soon as one tourist season concludes in the fall and must be completed before the next tourist season gets underway in May.

Of the project, Mr. Arbib said, "We're trying to balance a retail shop, living area, and storage space to hopefully come up with a viable business going forward."

The building likely will not be painted this year, he said, although touch-up work is planned around the new double doorway.

The shop, he said, offers gifts for the family. Mr. Arbib's wife, Erika, is the store manager and purchasing agent, and their six-month-old daughter, Rachael Katheryn, is the boss.