I.O.O.F. Centennial Building, commercial building in Alpena, Michigan

The I.O.O.F. Centennial Building is a three-story brick structure in Alpena, Michigan, situated on a triangular corner lot where three streets meet. Its distinctive wedge shape, resembling a flatiron, rises from a strong stone foundation and features ornate brickwork with carved decorative details throughout.

The site held Alpena's first county courthouse, destroyed by fire on December 12, 1870. Samuel E. Hitchcock and his wife Samantha built the Centennial Block in 1876; the Odd Fellows, with Hitchcock as a member, bought it in 1901 and stayed until 1969. The eastern bay was added around 1903.

This building served as a gathering place for the Odd Fellows, a fraternal group dedicated to community service and mutual aid. The third floor functioned as their lodge room, designed with private entrances and coded access points that reflected the group's emphasis on discretion and brotherhood.

The building sits centrally in downtown Alpena and is easily accessible and visible from multiple sides. Its unusual triangular lot and distinctive wedge shape make it simple to locate and identify as you walk through the area.

The flatiron shape comes from the triangular lot at Chisholm Street, West Washington Avenue and First Avenue, not from fire codes. The brick construction does follow the Alpena fire limit ordinance passed after the blaze of July 12, 1872, which destroyed 15 acres. The raised brickwork on the Washington Avenue facade reads 'CENTENNIAL' and '4 JULY 1876'.