Adrian

Like the maple trees found here, Adrian has deep roots. Many civic institutions date back to the 19th century: the Adrian City Band, founded in 1838, is one of the oldest community bands in the country, and the Croswell Opera House, opened in 1866, is the oldest theater in Michigan. Outside the Lenawee County Historical Museum, you’ll find a statue of local abolitionist Laura Smith Haviland, who helped organize the state of Michigan’s first anti-slavery group in 1832, founded its first racially integrated school in 1837, and established its first station on the Underground Railroad. 

As it celebrates its bicentennial, the people of Adrian are carving their community into new shapes and watering the seeds for new growth. Take a walk downtown on a Friday night and you’ll see the results: a flourishing, friendly streetscape full of life and energy. That’s thanks in part to the success of the state’s “Make It in Michigan” strategy, which brings together people, places, and projects to produce prosperity in abundance. 

Learn more about how the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is supporting the success of Adrian, the “Maple City”. 

Placemaking in Adrian 

From housing in a historic building downtown to support for unique Main Street businesses, the MEDC is investing in Adrian’s future through a variety of programs. The impacts are evident throughout the community, including an incubator kitchen, a telescope company, three new art studios, a non-motorized trail connection, and a major rehabilitation project. 

Five functionally obsolete buildings that formerly housed Hamerman’s Furniture Store in downtown Adrian are being rehabilitated into Adrian Park House, a multi-story mixed-use development featuring 12 new residential rental units on the second and third floors.  In April 2024, the MEDC approved a $1.5 million Revitalization and Placemaking grant for the project.  

Work is expected to finish in late 2025, with commercial tenants anticipated to complete their first-floor spaces over the following months. The storefronts are being renovated in accordance with historic specifications, keeping the nostalgic Carrera glass intact. The first-floor interior will accentuate time-period elements such as trim, ceilings, and exposed brick where it was original.  

For its efforts in establishing a more streamlined development process and overall community development vision, the City of Adrian achieved the Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) Essentials designation under the new RRC 2.0 framework,  announced in March 2023. To achieve the Essentials designation, Adrian worked to incorporate all the key documents and practices to provide a predictable development experience and meet local planning and zoning responsibilities under Michigan law.  

In 2021, Adrian was chosen for the Select Level of the Michigan Main Street program, and is receiving five years of intensive technical assistance from MEDC with a focus on revitalization strategies designed to attract new residents, business investments, economic growth, and job creation to the central business district. This has included a strategic plan for Adrian Main Street/Downtown Development Authority (DDA), a branding system including logos, and a business recruitment service. In 2026, Adrian will move up to Master Level and receive the opportunity to serve as a mentor for others.  

The Adrian Armory Events Center received a $25,000 grant in Dec. 2022 through the MEDC’s Match on Main program, with plans to use the grant funding for the purchase of additional kitchen equipment such as a walk-in cooler to support an existing incubator kitchen, part of the Armory’s Launch Lenawee business development program for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Maumee Street, a downtown restaurant, also received a $25,000 grant from Match on Main in July 2024. 

In May 2023, Adrian was one of eight Michigan communities to receive a $25,000 Main Street Vibrancy Grant to support downtown enhancement and improvement projects, such as murals.  

“Since becoming a Main Street community, we have benefited from training, technical assistance, and grant opportunities. We could not be more pleased by our involvement and are excited for the future,” said Adrian Main Street/DDA Executive Director Jay Marks at the time of the announcement. 

The MEDC also supports the beautification of Adrian through its Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) program, which provides matching funds for crowdfunded public space projects. The area saw two successful campaigns in 2021. The first funded an extension of the Kiwanis Trail system to fully connect the city of Adrian to the city of Tecumseh via a continuous non-motorized pathway, with the MEDC providing a $50,000 matching grant to offer recreational opportunities for residents. The second brought studios for glassblowing, metalsmithing jewelry, and sculpture to the Adrian Center for the Arts (ACA), situated on a 55-acre campus that formerly housed the Adrian Girls Training School, through a $25,000 matching grant from the MEDC.  

MEDC-Supported Business Projects 

Recent projects funded by Michigan Business Development Program (MBDP) performance-based grants have brought outside capital investment and new jobs to the Adrian area. 

• In nearby Fairfield Township, Silbond Corporation, a producer of chemicals for the fabrication of semiconductors, expanded its operations to manufacture new products, including high-purity abrasives for production of microchips. Expected to generate $7.9 million in capital investment, the project was announced in 2023, building on the state’s work to position itself as a global leader in the semiconductor supply chain. 

• Uckele Health & Nutrition, Inc., established in 1962 in Blissfield Township, manufactures human and animal dietary supplements for retail, wholesale and contract customers. The company purchases ingredients and formulates its own line of supplements. Uckele announced plans in 2021 to purchase two facilities in the city of Adrian to duplicate its current lines of production and invest in new equipment. Although these plans were later modified and the incentive amount was lowered to $367,550, the project resulted in the creation of 75 new jobs and significant private investment.  

• PlaneWave Instruments, a world leader in educational and government telescope production, got its start in California in 2006. The company’s telescopes are sold to private individuals, colleges, universities, aerospace industries, and the military. PlaneWave was experiencing exponential growth and needed to consolidate into one location. The company decided to establish its headquarters in Adrian in 2018, at the site of the former Adrian Training School, investing $9.4 million and creating more than 54 new jobs over a three-year period.  

PlaneWave allowed the Adrian Center for the Arts and the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute to remain on the 55-acre school campus while also offering public outreach and activities to promote science, technology, astronomy, and the arts. 

Adrian is also part of the Adrian – Tecumseh SmartZone, an economic development tool that allows property tax dollars to be captured and reinvested to provide support to high-technology entrepreneurs, businesses and researchers in the local community. With auspicious locations to plant roots and a skilled local workforce, the SmartZone provides opportunities to accelerate start-ups or established endeavors towards success. The Adrian – Tecumseh SmartZone has a goal to attract new businesses and jobs as well as help existing manufacturing and production businesses in the area with potential for growth, particularly in industries such as manufacturing of nonmetallic mineral products, chemicals, plastics and rubber, or wood products; animal production; and aquaculture. 

In addition, local grocer The Marks Trading Company moved their brick & mortar grocery store in downtown Adrian with a direct grant and 2024 Fellow designation from Lean Rocket Lab, an MEDC-supported Small Business Support Hub based in Jackson. The move to a larger, more centralized location resulted in a 20% increase in sales.

Visiting Adrian and Lenawee County 

The Croswell Opera House is Michigan's oldest theater and one of the oldest in the country, offering the best community talent in live theater, children's theater, and special events including fine art exhibits in their art gallery. Musical and dramatic presentations can be seen all year long.  

The Croswell is one of many memorable destinations in downtown Adrian where you’ll also find a variety of restaurants and shops, from burgers to books, rock n’ roll candles to razors. Come out in the evening of the first Friday of each month and you’ll enjoy food trucks, live music, and more.

If you’re looking for a quieter spot to rest and reflect, stop by one of Adrian’s parks and unwind. Maybe you’ll gaze out over the water at Riverside Park, explore the structures at Trestle Park with family, or admire the formal lines of the memorials at Monument Park. Adrian has come a long way in 200 years. With the strength of its roots, the vitality of its citizens, and the support of the MEDC, it’s set to grow and flourish for centuries to come.