George P. MacNichol House

The George P. MacNichol House, also known as the Ford-MacNichol House,[3] is a house located at 2610 Biddle Avenue in Wyandotte, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]

George P. MacNichol House
Location2610 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte, Michigan
Coordinates42°12′27″N 83°8′56″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1896
ArchitectMalcomson & Higginbotham
Architectural styleQueen Anne
NRHP reference No.84001859[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 24, 1984
Designated MSHSNovember 15, 1973[2]

The house is currently used as the main historic house museum of Wyandotte Museums.[4] The Marx House is also owned by the Museums and used for art exhibits and community meeting space.

History

Edward Ford (also the builder of the Ford-Bacon House across the street)[5][6] was the son of glass pioneer John Baptiste Ford and the founder of the Michigan Alkali Company in Wyandotte and the Ford Plate Glass Company in Toledo, Ohio, (later the Libbey–Owens–Ford Company).[2] In 1896, Ford hired Malcomson & Higginbotham to design this home as wedding gift for his daughter Laura on her marriage to George P. MacNichol.[3][7] MacNichol was a medical doctor, but was active in research and development work for both the Ford Plate Glass Company and the Michigan Alkali Company.[2] The couple lived in the house for seven years before moving to Toledo to be closer to family.[3]

After the MacNichols moved, the house was purchased by Jeremiah Drennen, a local lawyer.[3] The Drennen family owned the house until the 1970s, when it was purchased by Yvonne Latta. Latta restored the house, and in 1977, it was purchased by the city of Wyandotte.[3]

Description

The George P. MacNichol House is a two-and-one-half-story wood-framed rectangular-plan gabled Queen Anne house.[2] It has 32 rooms and 6600 feet of interior space, with 6 fireplaces, 65 windows, and 53 doors.[3] The roof and gables are steeply pitched.[4] The front facade features a one-story wraparound porch with Tuscan columns and under-eave latticework,[4] and a corner turret with conical roof.[7] Most of the house is sheathed in clapboards, with the gable ends and upper portion of the tower covered in shingles.[2]

The house is significant as an example of the residential architecture of the firm of Malcomson & Higginbotham, and for the house's association with some of the community's most prominent people.[2]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "MacNichol, George P., House". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on August 28, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  3. "Ford-MacNichol Home History". Wyandotte Museums. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  4. Ren Farley. "George P. MacNichol Home/Wyandotte Historical Museum". Detroit1701.org. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  5. "Ford-Bacon Memorial House Virtual Tour". Bacon Memorial District Library. Archived from the original on March 13, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  6. "Ford-Bacon House". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  7. Ken Munson (2007), Wyandotte, Arcadia Publishing, pp. 78–79, ISBN 0-7385-5103-1
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