1317 7th Street

 

Architecture:

    Style:                        Second Empire

    Description:              This asymmetrical house is a three-story wood frame structure with wood clapboard siding and a painted stone foundation.  The Mansard roof slope is straight, and trimmed with brackets in the eaves.  The square tower retains the original cupola.  There are gable dormers on all sides of the building, and an arched hood dormer in the cupola.  A two story semi-hexagonal bay is located on the north side of the building.  Two semi-hexagonal bays, one-story and two-story, are located on the south side of the house.  The front porch on the left has square wood posts and metal railing, and covers a paired door front entry.  To the right of the porch is a squared bay that extends forward of the house only slightly.  Other decorative elements include dentil between stories, and small brackets.  Windows throughout the house are tall and narrow.  This structure contributes greatly to the historical character of this neighborhood.

 

Significant Period:

    Construction Date:     by mid-1870’s

    Architect/Builder:       Unknown

    Context:                    Hannah S. Merrill, widow of Captain Ebenezer Merrill, jointly owned the home with her sister Miss Lucy A. Sanborn, a capitalist.  Hannah died March 27, 1876; the funeral took place from her residence.  Her estate was valued at $30,000.  Minor expenses for house building, plumbing, and screws are listed in her probate records.  Peter Sanborn also lived there. Lucy A. Sanborn lived there 1885 to 1901, as well as John Dwyer an employee, and Kate Cavanaugh a domestic.  The Sanborn Family originated in Maine, Doctor William and Nancy Sanborn had eleven children.  Many of that generation or their children came to Michigan and became prominent citizens of great wealth.  The Albert A. and Susie S. Graves family lived there from 1902 to about 1916.  He held a number of titles: secretary of the Maccabees Protective Association, treasurer of the Port Huron Amusement Co., treasurer of the United Home Protectors Fraternity, National organizer of the Patricians, etc.  Susie was the Great Finance Keeper of the Ladies of the Modern Maccabees.  The Robert M. and Grace L. Meisel family lived there from about 1918 to the mid-1920’s.  He was an advertiser, real estate agent, and commercial traveler.  By 1930, St. Joseph Catholic Church used the house as its rectory, a function it still serves today.