Judge Robert S. Wilson House

Historic house in Michigan, United States


United States historic place
Judge Robert S. Wilson House
42°16′55″N 83°44′37″W / 42.28194°N 83.74361°W / 42.28194; -83.74361
Arealess than one acre
Built1839 (1839)
Architectural styleGreek 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]

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.

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

References

  • Kimball, Fiske (1922). Domestic Architecture of the American Colonies and of the Early Republic. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. LCCN 22024675.

Notes

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Maldonado, Yvo. "Wilson-Wahr House". Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Judge Wilson House". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e f g Wineberg, Marjorie Reade and Susan (1992). HISTORIC BUILDINGS ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN. ISBN 9781882574001.
  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).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Wilson House
(Ann Arbor).
  • Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. MI-27-2, "Judge R. S. Wilson House, East Ann & North Division Streets, Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, MI", 3 photos, 9 measured drawings, 3 data pages
  • History of Judge Wilson House
  • v
  • t
  • e
Historic districts
Washtenaw County map
Historic properties
Footnotes
‡This historic property also has portions in an adjacent county.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Lists by county


Other lists