Judge Robert S. Wilson House

Last updated
Judge Robert S. Wilson House
RobertWilsonHouseAnnArborMI.JPG
USA Michigan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Judge Robert S. Wilson House
Interactive map showing Judge Robert S. Wilson House
Location126 N. Division St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Coordinates 42°16′55″N83°44′37″W / 42.28194°N 83.74361°W / 42.28194; -83.74361 Coordinates: 42°16′55″N83°44′37″W / 42.28194°N 83.74361°W / 42.28194; -83.74361
Arealess than one acre
Built1839 (1839)
Architectural style Greek Revival
NRHP reference No. 72000663 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 16, 1972

The Judge Robert S. Wilson House, also known as the Wilson-Wahr House, [2] is a private house located at 126 North Division Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. [1]

Contents

History

Robert S. Wilson was an attorney who moved from Allegheny County, New York, to Ann Arbor in 1835. [3] He was Judge of the Washtenaw County Probate court for a year, and served in the Michigan House of Representatives. In approximately 1839, Wilson had this house built on a lot in Ann Arbor. He lived there until 1850, when he moved to Chicago [3] and sold the house to John H. Welles. [4]

Welles is thought to have constructed the rear addition to the house, and made other extensive alterations. [4] It is likely that the middle section was built in 1835, the temple portion was added in 1843, and the kitchen and servants quarters were added in 1850. [5] In 1855, Welles' son Henry moved into the house with his four daughters (Clarissa, Sarah, Mary Fiske, and Susan Holly), [5] after the death of his wife. [2] [5] Henry Welles died in 1860, and the house passed to successive owners. [2] In 1893, the house was sold in a tax sale to George Wahr, and his wife, Emma (Staebler) Wahr. [5] The Wahr family constructed another house next door as their residence, and rented the house to sororities and fraternities. [6] After 20 years, they moved back into the main Wilson-Wahr House. [7] The house passed on to the Wahr's daughter, Natalie Wahr Sallade (who died in 1974), [5] and the Sallades occupied the house until 2002 when it was purchased by Norman and Ilene Tyler. [5]

Greek Revival style facade with Ionic columns. Wilson House Ann Arbor HABS2.jpg
Greek Revival style facade with Ionic columns.

Architecture

The Robert S. Wilson House is a two-story Greek Revival structure constructed of brick with a stucco finish on a stone foundation. [3] Nearly every survey of Michigan architecture has singled out the Wilson House as an outstanding specimen of Neoclassical architecture design. [3] Architect Fiske Kimball attributed its "four study Ionic columns, rising through two stories, with graceful flutes and capitals" to the original Temple of the Wingless Victory at Athens. [5]

The front facade boasts a full-width portico with Ionic fluted shaft columns, and an entryway framed by matching pilasters. Windows have external shutters. A two-story addition on the rear was likely constructed more recently than the main portion of the house. [3]

Interior

Inside, the main section of the house is two parlors deep with a hall containing a stairwell to the side. The rear addition has a side entrance into another stair hall. All the major rooms in the house have fireplaces. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Ann Arbor, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Washtenaw County. Ann Arbor is also included in the Greater Detroit Combined Statistical Area and the Great Lakes megalopolis, the most populated and largest megalopolis in North America.

Washtenaw County, Michigan County in Michigan, United States

Washtenaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822, and was organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw County comprises the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor Combined Statistical Area. The county is home to the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, and Concordia University Ann Arbor.

Lawrence Kestenbaum is an attorney, politician, and the creator and webmaster of The Political Graveyard website.

First National Bank Building (Ann Arbor, Michigan) United States historic place

The First National Bank Building, also known as the First National Building, is a Romanesque Revival building in Ann Arbor, Michigan designed by the local architectural firm of Fry and Kasurin. It stands at 201-205 South Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 24, 1982.

Michigan Alpha Chapter House of Phi Delta Theta Historic house in Michigan, U.S.

The Phi Delta Theta House located at 1437 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a splendid example of Georgian Revival architecture. The house, finished in 1903, is on the Michigan Register of Historic Places. It is located near the southeast edge of the University of Michigan's Central Campus.

Nathan B. Devereaux Octagon House Historic house in Michigan, United States

The Nathan B. Devereaux Octagon House is an historic octagonal house located at 66425 Eight Mile Road in Northfield Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan. The house is one of only three extant octagonal houses in Washtenaw County, and remains in excellent and near original condition. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Cobblestone Farm and Museum Historic house in Michigan, United States

The Cobblestone Farm and Museum, which includes the Dr. Benajah Ticknor House is an historical museum located at 2781 Packard Road in Ann Arbor Michigan. The museum gets its name from the cobblestone used to build the farmhouse. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973.

Unitarian Universalist Church (Ann Arbor, Michigan) Historic church in Michigan, United States

The Unitarian Universalist Church is a historic church building at 100 N. State Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Chelsea Commercial Historic District United States historic place

The Chelsea Commercial Historic District is a historic district located along both sides of Main Street from Orchard to North Street in Chelsea, Michigan; the district also includes the adjacent 100 blocks of Jackson, East Middle, and West Middle Streets, as well as structures on Park, East, and Orchard Streets. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

Gordon Hall (Dexter, Michigan) Historic house in Michigan, United States

Gordon Hall, also known as the Judge Samuel W. Dexter House, is a private house located at 8341 Island Lake Road in Dexter, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The house is unique in Michigan for its balance, large scale, and massive hexastyle portico. The structure is also significant as the dwelling of Judge Samuel W. Dexter, a pioneering Michigan resident and land baron who had a substantial impact on early development of Washtenaw County and other sections of the state. The house was later owned by Dexter's granddaughter Katharine Dexter McCormick, a pioneering research scientist, suffragist, and philanthropist. In its early days, Gordon Hall hosted at least two, and possibly three United States presidents, and it was almost certainly a stop along the Underground Railroad.

Goodyear Block United States historic place

The Goodyear Block, also known as the Arbeiter Block is a commercial building located at 138 E. Main Street in Manchester, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Orrin White House Historic house in Michigan, United States

The Orrin White House, also known as the Orrin and Ann Thayer White House or the Robert Hodges Residence , is a private house located at 2940 Fuller Road in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Tuomy Hills Service Station United States historic place

The Tuomy Hills Service Station is a commercial building located 2460 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Parker Mill United States historic place

The Parker Mill, also known as Parker Mill Park or Parker Mill Complex, is a mill located at 4650 Geddes Road, east of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The mill is a well-preserved example of a small-scale grist mill operation that was once common in Michigan. The mill and nearby Parker House were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church located in Ann Arbor, Michigan at 530-540 Elizabeth Street. Its historic parish church is listed as a Michigan State Historic Site.

Henry S. Frieze House United States historic place

The Henry S. Frieze House is a single family house located at 1547 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Washtenaw County Administration Building United States historic place

The Washtenaw County Administration Building is a former post office located at 220 North Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The building is now owned by Washtenaw County, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

William Anderson House United States historic place

The William Anderson House is a single-family home located at 2301 Packard Road in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Bell-Spalding House United States historic place

The Bell-Spalding House, also known as the Tuomy House, is a single-family home located at 2117 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Kellogg-Warden House United States historic place

The Kellogg-Warden House is a single-family house located at 500 North Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It now houses the Washtenaw County Historical Society's Museum on Main Street.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Maldonado, Yvo. "Wilson-Wahr House" . Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Judge Wilson House". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Wenzell, Herbert G. (1936). "Judge R. S. Wilson House" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wineberg, Marjorie Reade and Susan (1992). HISTORIC BUILDINGS ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.
  6. ↑ "126 North Division Street". Ann Arbor District Library. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  7. ↑ Arlinghaus, Sandra Lach. "Division Street Historic District" . Retrieved June 16, 2013.
Wilson House and gardens in c.1934 (HABS). Wilson House Ann Arbor HABS1.jpg
Wilson House and gardens in c.1934 (HABS).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.