Hannah and Lay Mercantile Building

In 1851, Perry Hannah, Albert Lay and James Morgan founded Hannah Lay & Co. in Chicago. The next year, they purchased a lumber camp at the mouth of the Boardman River. The company supplied timber to Chicago and goods to the lumber camp. It built this structure in 1883 to house Hannah & Lay Mercantile, also known as the “Big Store.” Designed by Robinson and Barnaby of Grand Rapids, and built of locally produced white Markham bricks, the store boasted Traverse City’s first elevators. It closed in 1928. Montgomery Ward operated in the building from 1928 to 1980. A fire destroyed a quarter of the structure in 1940. Northwestern Bank founder Harry Calcutt became the building’s sole owner in 1954.