It is easy to say of most midwestern cities that a lot has changed over the last 100 years. Muskegon is unique, however, in the degree of its transformation. From Urban Renewal to industrial implosion, many of the city’s most recognizable features were demolished and replaced, and then in some cases demolished again. This city has relentlessly driven forward.

That is why it feels so uncanny to see a photograph in the city from 100 years ago that looks so remarkably familiar today.

Then, the building was the People’s State Bank, built in 1923. Visitors to the city then could hop off the train and take a streetcar down streets defined by walls of storefronts, grocery stores, hotels, and banks. Since then, the façade of the building down the street has been changed and the buildings either side and down the block are gone, now the site of somebody’s least favorite parking spot. 100 years later, the old People’s State Bank is once again down to its bones.

These bones, however, still hold promise. Construction for this site is slated to begin this spring or summer, and it’s planned to become a mixed use building with 57 apartment units. This new building contributes to the city’s plan to make downtown a place for residents, not just visitors.

Standing on the corner of First and Clay a century ago, it’s easy to imagine a person hopeful about the future of their city as a brand new building fills out. Knowing that those bones still have a potential for life, standing on the corner of First and Clay, I feel hopeful too.