The Floyd R. Mechem House is a single-family home located at 1402 Hill Street in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1999.

History

Floyd R. Mechem was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 1858, and moved to Ann Arbor at a young age. He attended high school in 1874–75, after which he taught himself law. He was admitted to the bar in 1879. He set up a practice in

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

, serving as city attorney. In 1887 he moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and established the firm of Mechem & Beaumont. In 1892, he was appointed Tappan Professor of Law in the Law Department at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. In 1898, Mechem had this house constructed for him. He lived in it until 1903, when he was appointed professor of law at the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time facul ...

. Mecham died in 1928. From 1917 to 1923, this house was the home of Professor Joseph A. Bursley, who was appointed to the mechanical engineering faculty in 1904, and was the university's first dean of students beginning in 1921. In the mid-1930s, the house was used as a Women's League residence. It was later used as general housing for students.

Description

The Mechem House is a two-and-one-half-story wood-frame building with a steeply pitched hip- and cross-gable-roof and

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

trim. A two-story addition is located in the rear. The exterior walls are covered with clapboard, and it stands on a fieldstone foundation. A wooden beltcourse with molded cap runs between the first and second stories; cornerboards trim the first story below. The roof has five gables and a front-facing hipped dormer. A wraparound porch with Tuscan columns and spindlework extends across half the facade. The front entryway contains double doors with beveled glass lights. Six large windows with leaded glass transoms are in the front and side facades, and an Art Glass window next to the front entrance illuminates the main staircase. The remaining windows are double-hung units with single-light sash. On the interior, the entrance hall, parlor, sitting room, and dining room on the first floor are all extensively decorated with birdseye maple. The flooring is of oak and maple.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mechem, Floyd R., House National Register of Historic Places in Washtenaw County, Michigan Queen Anne architecture in Michigan Houses completed in 1898 Houses in Ann Arbor, Michigan