1013 7^th Street

Architecture:

Style: Colonial Revival

Description: This is a two-story brick structure with a concrete foundation. The ground plan is symmetrical, with a centered entryway, evenly spaced windows, and a chimney at either end. The hipped roof has two small gable dormers on the front. A one-story flat roofed sunroom is located on the north side, and a small addition is at the rear. Decorative elements include a broken pediment over the front door, stone keystones over each window, and double hung window panes separated into multiple lights.

Significant Period:

Construction Date: 1927

Architect/Builder: Unknown

Context: This structure replaced a previous wood frame parsonage. It was dedicated December 4, 1927. The first residents were Rev Emanuel Soell and his wife Lucy, who originated from Amherst, Ohio. Rev. Soell served St. John’s from 1926 to 1961, the longest pastorate of this church. In 1934, he was a Michigan delegate when the Evangelical Synod of North America and the Reformed Church of the United States merged. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he served as vice-president, then president of the Michigan-Indiana Synod, visiting delegate to the Constitution Convention of the National Council of Churches, and president of the Michigan-Indiana council of Churches. Many other good pastors followed in his footsteps at St. John’s.