Sparks-Anderson House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sparks-Anderson House
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| Location | 7653 W. Main St., Oshtemo Township, Michigan |
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| Area | 2.12 acres (0.86 ha) |
| Built | c. 1852 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000125 |
| Added to NRHP | April 7, 2014 |
The Sparks-Anderson House is a cool old home located at 7653 West Main Street in Oshtemo Township, Michigan. This is a town near Kalamazoo, Michigan. It's a special house because it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. This list includes important buildings from the past.
Contents
History of the Sparks-Anderson House
Who Lived Here?
The land where the Sparks-Anderson House stands was first bought by Alfred Wilcox in 1835. He sold it to Henry Sparks just one year later. Henry Sparks started farming part of the land.
In 1842, Henry sold a section of his farm to his brother, Asa Sparks. Asa likely lived with Henry while he started his own farm. Around 1852, Asa Sparks built this farmhouse.
New Owners Over Time
Asa Sparks sold the farm to Addison Sill in 1866. After that, the farm had a few more owners:
- Silas N. Brownell bought it in 1867.
- George Montgomery bought it in 1876.
- Edward Anderson bought it in 1884.
Edward Anderson passed the farm down to his daughter, Lillian. In 1982, Lillian gave about 100 acres of the land to Kalamazoo College. Later, in 1992, she sold about 5 acres to Warren L. and Nella Langeland.
The House Today
As of 2014, Kalamazoo College owns the Sparks-Anderson House. The farmland next to the house is now a special nature area. It's called the Lillian Anderson Arboretum, named after Lillian Anderson.
What Does the House Look Like?
Style and Shape
The Sparks-Anderson House is made of wood. It's built in a style called Greek Revival. This style was popular in the 1800s and looks a bit like ancient Greek temples.
The house has a special shape called "Upright and Wing." This means it has two main parts:
- A tall, two-story "upright" section.
- A shorter, single-story "wing" section that sticks out to the side. The wing has a roof that slopes down on two sides (a side-gable roof).
Outside Features
A porch with a sloped roof is at the front of the wing. This porch covers three doors that lead into the house. Another single-story wing was added to the back of the house in 1977.
The outside of the house is covered with wooden siding. It sits on a strong stone foundation.
Windows and Details
The front of the tall, two-story part of the house has two windows on the first floor and two more on the second floor. These windows have six small panes of glass on the top and six on the bottom. They also have shutters.
Right above the windows, in the triangular part of the roof (the gable), there's a small, narrow window called a frieze-band window. There are three more of these small windows on the sides of the house. The wing section has two more large windows between the three entry doors.
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