109 Shelden Avenue
Retains part of its old Kirkish Furniture sign, painted on the west side of the building.
This three-story brick building was built in 1910 for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), a fraternal organization, who occupied the third floor. By 1937, George Kirkish leased the building for his furniture store. He officially purchased it in 1950. George owned the business and ran it with help from his sons Dan, Harry, and Fred. In 1995 the family sold the building to Michael Jestila and moved to a one-story building on Hougton's Memorial Drive. Jestila ran Backroom Multi Entertainment until it closed in 2013. The building is currently unoccupied.
109 Shelden Avenue stands three stories high and is supported by a steel frame. The first floor of the exterior is covered in Jacobsville sandstone and the top two floors are covered in brick. The building exhibits some features of the Neo Classical Revival style on its entrance. This building has been left unmaintained and it no longer contains its original cornice. In the winter of 2016, part of the roof collapsed into the former two-story ballroom — likely due to the weight of snow and ice — taking "H FURNITURE" with it. The owner removed the back section and reinforced it.
Sources: Csmarich, J. & Klappa, P. (2000, May 12) City of Houghton Blocks 9 and 11. Report prepared for SS 422 History of American Architecture at Michigan Technological University; The Mining Gazette. (2013, May 23). City of Houghton to clean up Backroom. The Daily Mining Gazette.; Davis, M. (n.d.). Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Copper Country Architects.; Image: 109 Shelden Ave. (c. 1920-1930). photograph, Houghton, MI.