Fountain–Bessac House
Fountain–Bessac House | |
Fountain–Bessac House | |
42°8′58″N 84°2′26″W / 42.14944°N 84.04056°W / 42.14944; -84.04056 | |
Area | less than one acre |
---|---|
Built | 1842 (1842) |
Built by | William S. Carr |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italian Villa |
NRHP reference No. | 88001833[1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | September 29, 1988 |
Designated MSHS | September 16, 1986[2] |
The Fountain–Bessac House, also known as the Fountain-Haeussler House, is a private house located at 102 W. Main Street in Manchester, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1986[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1]
History
In 1842, flour mill owner Jacob (or Jabez)[3] Fountain hired local builder William S. Carr[3] to build what is now the first floor of this house.[2] Fountain built the house in part to outshine the nearby house of banker John Kief.[3] In 1850, Fountain moved into an even more opulent home, and sold the house to Dr. William Bessac.[3] In 1853, Bessac added a second story;[2] the Bessac family moved into the newly constructed second floor and Dr. Bessac used the first floor for his medical practice.[3] Bessac died in 1885, and the house passed to his daughter Mary, and her husband, pharmacist George Haeussler. They lived in the house until George and then Mary died, after which ownership of the house passed to their son Raynor Haeussler.[3]
By 1947, the house had been either vacant or rented for some years, and Raynor Haeussler sold it to potato farmers Mary and Tom Walton.[3] In 1949–50, the Waltons hired Emil Lorch, dean emeritus of the University of Michigan School of Architecture, to renovate and update the building.[2] They added a garage and breezeway to the rear of the house. The Waltons sold the house to Katherine McKibben in 1990.[3]
Description
The Fountain–Bessac House is a two-story frame structure with a symmetrical facade.[2] The two stages of construction are clearly visible in this structure. The 1842 first floor is of a Greek Revival design, with a five-bay front facade and a portico stretching the width of the house. The pyramidal roof of the first floor segues to a smaller second story set back from the first, designed in an Italian Villa style with a smaller three-bay facade. The second floor also has a pyramidal roof, which is capped by a cupola at the top of the house.[2] The stepped configuration of the first floor, second floor, and cupola has drawn comparisons to a wedding cake.[3] A more modern garage and breezeway is attached to the rear of the house.
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Fountain–Bessac House". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Grace Shackman (Summer 2000). "The Fountain–Bessac House". Community Observer.
External links
- The "Walton Home" Archived 2013-10-19 at the Wayback Machine at the Manchester Area Historical Society
- v
- t
- e
- Chelsea Commercial Historic District
- East Michigan Avenue Historic District
- Eastern Michigan University Historic District
- Langford and Lydia McMichael Sutherland Farmstead
- Main Street Historic District‡
- North Ann Arbor Street Historic District
- Old West Side Historic District
- Schuyler Mill – Ford Soybean Plant Complex
- St. Patrick's Parish Complex
- University of Michigan Central Campus Historic District
- Ypsilanti Historic District
![Washtenaw County map](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Map_of_Michigan_highlighting_Washtenaw_County.svg/100px-Map_of_Michigan_highlighting_Washtenaw_County.svg.png)
- Ann Arbor Central Fire Station
- Arnold and Gertrude Goss House
- Bell Road Bridge
- Bell-Spalding House
- Brinkerhoff–Becker House
- Charles Guthard House
- Delhi Bridge
- Delta Upsilon Fraternity House
- Detroit Observatory
- Detroit, Hillsdale and Indiana Railroad-Saline Depot
- Dixboro United Methodist Church
- Dr. Benajah Ticknor House
- Emanuel and Elizabeth Rentschler Farmstead
- First National Bank Building
- Floyd R. Mechem House
- Fountain–Bessac House
- Friend–Hack House
- George R. Lutz House
- George W. Palmer House
- Germania Building Complex
- Goodyear Block
- Gordon Hall
- Groves Farm
- Harris Hall
- Henry Bennett House
- Henry R. Watson House
- Henry S. Frieze House
- Highland Cemetery
- Jacob Hoffstetter House
- James Litchfield House
- Jortin Forbes House
- Joseph Annin House
- Judge Robert S. Wilson House
- Kellogg-Warden House
- Ladies' Literary Club Building
- Louis Sturm House
- Main Street Post Office
- Methodist Episcopal Church Parsonage
- Michigan Central Railroad Chelsea Depot
- Michigan Central Railroad Depot
- Michigan Theater Building
- Miller-Walker House
- Nathan B. Devereaux Octagon House
- Nathan Esek and Sarah Emergene Sutton House
- Newberry Hall
- Nickels Arcade
- Northern Brewery
- Oakwood Cemetery Mausoleum
- Orrin White House
- Parker Mill Complex
- Pease Auditorium
- President's House, University of Michigan
- Robert C. and Bettie J. (Sponseller) Metcalf House
- Saint Mary's School
- Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and Salem Walker Cemetery
- Saline First Presbyterian Church
- Samuel D. Van Duzer House
- Starkweather Religious Center
- Stone School
- Thomas Earl House
- Tuomy Hills Service Station
- Union Block
- Unitarian Universalist Church
- Wallace Block-Old Saline Village Hall
- Weinmann Block
- William and Elizabeth (Bodanzky) Muschenheim House
- William Anderson House
- William B. and Mary Shuford Palmer House
- William H. Davenport House
- Ypsilanti Water Works Stand Pipe
- Zalmon Church House