Mr. Dzuirman read the following comments, dated December 22, 2009, |
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from the State Historic Preservation Office regarding 1585 S. Rochester |
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Road: “Public Act 169 of 1970, as amended, requires a description of the |
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boundaries in writing and on maps. No maps are included in this report. |
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Since the house underwent a major remodeling in the Neoclassical style |
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around the time the Eddy’s purchased the property in 1936, the report |
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should concentrate on what occurred to the property from that time |
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forward. According to Standard #4 of the Secretary of Interior Standards |
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for Rehabilitation, most properties change over time; those changes that |
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have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and |
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preserved. The Report should contain more information about Mr. |
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Wayne Eddy. What was his connection to Michigan’s early automotive |
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history? Was there a link between his work and the automobile industry |
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and the Allen Cooler and Ventilating Company that he founded? He was |
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able to purchase and remodel this property in the midst of the Great |
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Depression, so he must have been fairly successful. Also, what was |
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occurring in Rochester Hills during the time period? Was he involved in |
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the community’s development? Was it common for people to purchase |
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and redo old farmhouses in this matter or was this unique? The Report |
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states that the house is not a good example of Neoclassical style |
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because the front porch columns are not typical of columns used in the |
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style in that they are thin, square columns with trim pieces added. |
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However, the description of the Neoclassical style found on page 344 of |
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Virginia and Lee McAlester’s Field Guide to American House states, |
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“After about 1925, very slender, unfluted (often square) columns began to |
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be used, primary on houses with full façade porches. This house appears |
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to be a local, vernacular adaptation of the Neoclassical style that is in |
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keeping with trends common to the period when the work was undertaken. |
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Is there any information on the reasons the house was designated in the |
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first place? If so, it should be included in the report.” |
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