Center Avenue Historic District

Bay City’s beginnings as the “Lumber Capital of the World” set the stage for a heritage that continues to live on through hundreds of examples of fine architecture. The Center Avenue Historic District alone has over 250 structures on the National Historic Register, many of them the late 1800’s mansions of lumber barons and shipping industrialists. These well-preserved homes and churches reflect the rich history of this river front community and an unsurpassed love of fine architectural design. Contact the Bay County Historical Museum for a Walking Tour map.