The man who has devoted decades to advancing how the world remembers the House of David will move his popular museum from downtown St. Joseph to Dowagiac later this year.
Chris Siriano told MoodyOnTheMarket.com that the museum is being welcomed to downtown Dowagiac by city leaders and will relocate to a facility many times the size of the historic home it has occupied for eleven years at 922 Main in St. Joseph, at the corner of Main and Jones Streets.
Siriano said he will close in late June on an 18,000 square foot former printing plant at 100 La Grange Street, “just across the tracks” in Dowagiac. Siriano’s museum in St. Joseph has been bursting at the seams to the point that it’s been a challenge for visitors to view the thousands of artifacts on display.
In Dowagiac, Siriano says, he will have several rooms appropriate to display various aspects of his House of David items, as well as a room dedicated to showing the several documentary movies and videos Siriano has created in recent years that chronical the history of the House of David. He also plans to employ Amish masons to build a new facade on the building that recalls the ‘Diamond House’ mansion, still standing on East Britain Avenue, Benton Harbor.
Siriano acknowledged that he’ll have space to spare in Dowagiac, even after a total re-set of the museum. He’ll likely use that for rental storage until needed for future museum expansion. He moved the museum and his real estate offices into the 1874 home on Main Street eleven years ago after operating for nearly 20 years in Riverside, first on Fikes Road and later on Riverside Road at what later became the Stonegate Manor wedding venue.
Siriano is not concerned about moving farther away from the historical geography of the House of David in Benton Township. He said the museum has proved itself as a true tourist destination, based on many visitors from Kalamazoo, South Bend and out of the region. He is confident they will find him in Dowagiac.
A new bigging amid fond memories
Siriano is overjoyed at the opportunity to expand the museum that he has “spent half my life creating”. At the same time, he will miss the big 3200 square foot Civil War era home in St. Joseph. As a realtor, he sees great potential for the property. It could continue to house an office with a residential apartment upstairs, as currently laid out. For many years before his tenure, it was a barber shop and beauty salon.
The highest potential he sees is as a restored, single family home. A large kitchen, dining area, sitting room, one bedroom and bath on the main level. Up the ornate front staircase a large family room/library, two bedrooms and baths, and another kitchenette. Throughout, high ceilings and large windows that make the space feel even bigger. There is second back stairway exiting to the four-car drive and parking pad.
Siriano acknowledges a new buyer would need to invest some coin in a restoration, especially in a kitchen and bathrooms, but points out the structure is comprised of two levels of brick, covered with exterior concrete. A relatively new boiler heats the main level with gas forced air upstairs. And the electrical and mechanical systems have been updated. Its location on the edge of the SJ historic district speaks for itself.
In a bit of a twist for a longtime local realtor, Siriano has chosen to put the historic home up for auction via the nationwide ‘LastBid’ auction website, headquartered near Grand Rapids. “I’m a risk taker,” he told us, “and finding the right local buyer could take awhile. I’m ready to move ahead with the museum and my movies. That’s my focus.”
Check out the May 26 auction information HERE
Reach Chris Siriano at 269-325-0039
Interior view, upstairs family room, 922 Main
Artist rendering, new facade, HoD Museum, Dowagiac
