Digital Division
409 Division St
Wheeler Building
ca. 1877
This building takes its name from Mason Wheeler, the father of University of Michigan student Henry Wheeler—one of the famed Northfielders who fought back in the 1876 raid. The family had recently opened Wheeler and Blackman Drug, and built this building soon after. This building has stood the test of time. The lower floor shopfront, as with much of Division Street, has since been remodeled, but the 19th century upper floor facade remains, and has some interesting elements. The cornicing work parallels many other downtown buildings, but the engraved archways over the windows are unique to the Wheeler Building within Northfield’s downtown.
After Wheeler and Blackman shut down, the storefront went through a variety of owners in the 20th century, from Odland’s Hardware to Stevenson’s Women’s Clothing. Stevenson’s sat next door to Mitchell’s for nearly twenty years in the 70s and 80s, creating Northfield’s very own miniature clothing mall. Since 2023, the Wheeler Building has housed Northside Boards, who moved in from their previous location at 305 Division (the Thompson Building).
