Frank J. Cobbs House facts for kids
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Frank J. Cobbs House
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | 407 E. Chapin St., Cadillac, Michigan |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1898 |
| Built by | James R. Fletcher |
| Architect | possibly George D. Mason |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000376 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 31, 1988 |
The Frank J. Cobbs House is a historic home located at 407 E. Chapin Street in Cadillac, Michigan. It was once owned by Frank J. Cobbs, a very important person in the city's history. This house was recognized as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1985. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This means it's a special historical place worth protecting.
History of the Cobbs House
Frank J. Cobbs was born in Jackson County, Indiana in 1872. He was adopted by Jonathan W. Cobbs. The Cobbs family later moved to Cadillac, Michigan. There, Jonathan Cobbs bought a sawmill. He teamed up with William W. Mitchell to start a lumber company called Cobbs & Mitchell.
This company became one of the biggest lumber businesses in Michigan. They made hardwood flooring and other wood products. At its busiest, Cobbs & Mitchell used 100,000 feet of raw lumber every day! Their work helped Cadillac grow a lot in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Frank Cobbs went to prep school at the University of Notre Dame. He also attended the Michigan Military Academy. In 1894, he earned a degree from Olivet College. After college, he came back to Cadillac to work at Cobbs & Mitchell. In 1895, he helped start the Cadillac State Bank.
Soon after, his father, Jonathan Cobbs, became ill. As the only son, Frank took over his father's role at Cobbs & Mitchell. His father passed away in 1898. Frank Cobbs continued to make the company grow. They invested a lot in the Cadillac area. They also bought more land in the Pacific Northwest.
Frank Cobbs married Maude Louise Belcher in April 1898. In the same year, he had this house built for his family. A local builder named James R. Fletcher constructed the home. People believe that a famous Detroit architect, George D. Mason, might have designed the house.
In 1905, some parts were added to the house. This included a reading room built over the porte cochere (a covered entrance for cars). The east side of the house was also made longer. In 1912, the Cobbs family moved to Oregon. Frank went there to manage the Cobbs & Mitchell logging operations. In 1917, they had a very grand mansion built in Portland. Maude Louise Cobbs died in Portland in 1940, and Frank J. Cobbs passed away in 1951.
About the Cobbs House Design
The Frank J. Cobbs House is a three-story home. It is built in the Colonial Revival style, which means it looks like older American colonial homes. The outside walls are covered with clapboard siding, which are long, thin boards. The roof is a gambrel roof, which has two different slopes on each side. It is covered with red cedar shingles.
The middle part of the front of the house sticks out a little. It has a gambrel-style gable (a triangular part of the wall under the roof). One side of the house has a wing with a regular gable roof. The other side used to have a porte cochere, which was a covered driveway where carriages or cars could pull up. This area is now enclosed and has an extra room on the second floor.
The house has many fancy decorations. These include a Palladian window, which is a large window with three parts. There are also windows with decorative tops called molded caps. You can see round-head dormers (windows that stick out from the roof). The house also features fluted columns and pilasters, which are flat columns attached to the wall.
Near the main house, there is a former carriage house. It is built in the same style as the main house.
