Walking Tour-135 North Main Street-Walking Tour
(West Side of Street)

This house was built in 1905 for/by Austin Taylor. Architecturally the original section of this house was built as a late Victorian, Queen Anne style building with some Stick Style elements. It looked very much like those houses at 122 , 130 & 177 N. Main and 18 N. Holcomb. An item in the 8/29/1905 issue of the Oakland County Post noted " With the near completion of the tow new Reese houses on upper Main street in the village the boom in the building line is continuing by the beginning of a new home for A. J. Taylor, just acress the street from the Reese property."

The front door was originally placed across the southeast corner. It was covered by a porch which wrapped around from the middle of the south facade to the middle of the east facade. A gable with shaped shingles in the peak was centered over the door with wide steps to the sidewalk. Instead of the turned posts supporting the porch roof and balusters beneath the railings, as seen in old photos of the other similar houses, photos circa 1920 and 1950 show simple round doric, Classical Revival style, columns supporting the porch roof. Below the porch railing clapboard is seen instead of turned spindles. This simpler porch was apparently a replacement, or update, for a deteriorated porch built in the Queen Anne style.

In the 1950s the diagonally placed front door was replaced with a street facing entrance and the wraparound porch was removed. In the 1970s a utility room and a family room were added to the rear of the house where an attached garage once stood. This attached garage was probably an addition to the original house built circa 1940.

The shaped shingles and spider web windows in the second story gables are picturesque details typical of the style or combination of styles.

Official Property Description:

• The southeast corner of the Northwest 1/4 and the northeast corner of the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township, not a part of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat of the Village.
• Lots 41 & 42 of the Supervisor's Plat No. 1.

Significant Property History:

[A Synopsis Of Property Transfers Derived From Abstracts
(when available) And Periodic Changes In Ownership Or
Assessed Value Derived From Township Tax Records]

• Note: All the properties currently located in the Historic District were originally part of a tract registered by Butler Holcomb with the federal government on October 22, 1831. Thus, abstracts for these properties, when they exist, show the original transfer to be from the United States to Butler Holcomb and may also include references to then President Andrew Jackson.
• 1844 Gamaliel Truesdell, the northeast 1/4 of the Southwest 1/4, assessed value $215.
• 1846 Joseph "Chatman", one acre on the northwest corner of the northeast 1/4 of the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20, assessed value $10. William Holcomb, the south 3/4 of the Northwest 1/4 of Section, assessed value $395.
• 1847 William Holcomb, the south 3/4 of the Northwest 1/4, assessed value $350. Joseph "Chapman", 3 & 1/2 acres in the northeast 1/4 corner of the Southwest 1/4, assessed value $60
• 1848 Joseph "Chapman", the northeast corner of the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20, assessed value $100. William Holcomb, the south part of the Northwest 1/4, assessed value $382.
• 1849 D. S. Lewis, the northeast corner of the Southwest 1/4, assessed value $103. William Holcomb, the south 3/4 of the Northwest 1/4, assessed value $412.
• 1856 Mary E. Lewis
• 1866 J. Davidson.
• 1872 Map of the Village has no building footprint on this site. owner J. Davidson.
• 1896 Map of the Village, owner P. Howe.
• 1900 Miss C. Holcomb.
• 1904 Austin Taylor, assessed value $200.
• 1905 Austin Taylor, assessed value $200.
• 1906 Austin Taylor, assessed value $800.
• 1907 as above, assessed value $1400.
• 1910 as above, assessed value $1500.
• 1927 as above, assessed value $2900.
• 1929 John Mann, assessed value $3900.
• 1935 John Mann.
• 1940 John Mann, Lot 41.
  J.H. Alger, Lot 42.
• Re: Lot 42. Originally a lot north of the house lot which now belongs to the house lot.
• 1915 J. H. Alger reportedly had a garage on this lot at one time.
• 1929 J. H. Alger, assessed value $300.
• 1940 John Mann Lot 41.
  J. H. Alger Lot 42.
• 1954 J. H. Alger Lot 42.