Alexander Medical Office
118 West North Street, Kalamazoo
This rustic little structure was constructed in 1950. The curved line at
the center front, as well as the horizontal band around the top of the
building expose an Art Deco influence. Brick glass windows and aluminum
bands between the stones are also typical Art Deco elements. The design
was by the original owner, Dr. Cornelius Allen Alexander, who also enjoyed
creating rustic sculptures and fountains, among other things.
A resident of Richland, Mich., Dr. Alexander and his wife owned and used
the building for a medical practice into the late 1970s. Dr. Alexander is
well-known as Kalamazoo’s longtime African-American physician, whose
fascinating three-volume autobiography and oral history work were recently
published by Western Michigan University’s Department of History.
