Chauncey Brewer House (Oak Hill), Marshall Michigan

Date added: March 30, 2011 Categories: Michigan House Italianate

The original owner was Chauncey M. Brewer, an early settler and prominent merchant in Marshall. The house remained in the possession of the descendants of C. M. Brewer, who moved to Marshall in 1836 from Oneonta, Otsego County, New York.

Main portion of building measures about 36' x 40', plus a link 15' long and an end pavilion 15' wide. The front faces east.

The porch on the south side was extended to the east some time after 1895.

A one-story wooden porch covers the east and south sides, 9 bays in all, rounded on the corner. The foundation and balustraded railing to be modern but the rest appears old. Piers are square, and have chamfered corners and moulded capitals. The lower edge of the architrave is shaped to curve downward toward each capital. The cornice is simple except for a pair of swan's-neck brackets with pendant ornaments over each pier.

Over the center of the main roof is a square cupola with three arched windows in the north side and four arched windows on the other three faces. Colonnettes between each window are Y-shaped with long stems. Near each corner of the cornice are pairs of brackets. On each side at the corner, scrolled buttresses (a pair under the pair of brackets) afford a transition motif at the bottom.

This house is at the edge of the city on a hilltop with a large area of dependent land. Trees are placed informally.

Just west of the house is a brick two-story building, measuring about 16' x 22 . It has a hip roof, simple boxed eaves, and rectangular openings with wood lintels and stone sills. On the west side is a board and batten door. The interior is finished with plastered walls and a painted matched and beaded board ceiling. The floor at ground level is concrete. At the north end of the one-room plan is an enclosed stair to the second story. Parts of this building are deteriorating, but as of this date (1965) repairs are being made. There are also several wooden sheds on the property.

For a little more recent history, see this site.