Honolulu House facts for kids
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Honolulu House
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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Abner Pratt House (Honolulu House) in 1965
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | 107 N. Kalamazoo Avenue, Marshall, Michigan |
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| Built | 1860 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Part of | Marshall Michigan Historic Landmark District (ID91002053) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000267 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 8, 1970 |
| Designated NHLDCP | July 17, 1991 |
The Honolulu House, also known as the Abner Pratt House, is a really cool historic home in Marshall, Michigan. It was built in 1860. This unique house mixes Hawaiian-inspired design with Italianate and Gothic Revival styles.
Contents
The Story of Honolulu House
Building a Dream Home
The Honolulu House was built by a man named Abner Pratt. He was a very important judge for the Michigan Supreme Court. He also worked as a special representative for the U.S. in Hawaii under President James Buchanan.
Abner Pratt lived in the beautiful Hawaiian islands for many years. When he moved back to Marshall, he wanted to bring a piece of Hawaii with him. So, he decided to build the Honolulu House to remind him of his time there.
This house was built right across the street from another house. That house was a wedding gift Pratt had built for his daughter in 1841. The Honolulu House has a huge porch that wraps all the way around it. This porch looks a lot like the famous 'Iolani Palace in Hawaii. The inside walls of the house were even painted with fun tropical scenes!
From Home to Museum
Sadly, Abner Pratt passed away in 1863 from an illness called pneumonia.
Years later, in 1951, the house was updated and fixed up. Then, in 1961, the Marshall Historical Society bought the house. They turned it into a museum so everyone could visit and learn about its history.
What Does It Look Like?
The Honolulu House is a two-story building. It has white wooden siding that goes up and down. The house sits on a strong foundation made of sandstone, about five feet high.
The house is quite large, measuring 77 feet long and 37 feet deep. The front of the house has a wide, deep porch. This porch is held up by fancy columns resting on sandstone blocks. On top of each column are huge, decorative brackets. Beautiful wooden arches connect each pair of columns.
The windows are placed evenly across the house. There are big bay windows on each end. The windows on the main floor have decorative wooden tops. The house has a sloped roof with four chimneys placed in a balanced way. A special tower with a pagoda-style roof sits above the main front door and stairs. This tower makes the house look even more unique!
See also
- Oaklands Historic House Museum
