Era: 1900s-1960s
Location: 511 W Main St, Owosso, MI
The distinctive building at 511 W. Main Street is known to longtime Owosso residents as the V.O. Braun Building, named after Virgil O. Braun, a prominent figure in Owosso legal and civic history.
V.O. Braun was a man of many talents—lawyer, teacher, author, and for a time, Shiawassee County Prosecuting Attorney. During his tenure as prosecutor, Braun kept an office in the Matthews Building before later moving to the distinctive art-deco-style house now owned by the YMCA.
In the 1960s, the building served as a military recruiting office, where young men from Shiawassee County signed up for service during the Vietnam era.
V.O. and Grace Braun personal residence was located on North Shiawassee Street, a stately home befitting one of Owosso most accomplished citizens.
Information contributed by local historians including Tim Shaw, Steve Kobe, Bob Conklin, Denice Grace, Piper Brewer, and Leonard Mitchell.