Frank J. Cobbs House
Frank J. Cobbs House
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Location | 407 E. Chapin St., Cadillac, Michigan |
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Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1898 |
Built by | James R. Fletcher |
Architect | possibly George D. Mason |
Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
NRHP Reference # | 88000376[1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | March 31, 1988 |
Designated MSHS | September 25, 1985[2] |
The Frank J. Cobbs House is a private house located at 407 E. Chapin Street in Cadillac, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1985[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1]
History
Frank J. Cobbs was born in Jackson County, Indiana in 1872, and was adopted by Jonathan W. Cobbs.[3] The Cobbs family soon moved to Cadillac where the elder Cobbs purchased a sawmill and, along with William W. Mitchell, founded the lumbering firm of Cobbs & Mitchell. Cobbs & Mitchell was among the largest lumbering firms in Michigan, supplying hardwood flooring and other products to consumers. At its high point, Cobbs & Mitchell used 100,000 feet of raw lumber daily.[4] Cobbs & Mitchell's operations played a major role in the economic development of Cadillac in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[2]
Frank Cobbs attended prep school at the University of Notre Dame, later attended the Michigan Military Academy, then obtained a degree from Olivet College in 1894.[3] He returned to Cadillac to work at Cobbs & Mitchell, and in 1895 organized the Cadillac State Bank. However, soon after, his father Jonathon Cobbs became ill. As the only son, Frank Cobbs took over his father's place at Cobbs & Mitchell; the elder Cobbs eventually died in 1898.[3] Cobbs & Mitchell continued to grow under Frank Cobbs's management, with considerable investment in the Cadillac area and growing holdings in the Pacific Northwest.[5]
Cobbs married Maude Louise Belcher in April 1898;[3] the same year, he had this house built for himself and his family by local builder James R. Fletcher.[2] It is thought that Detroit architect George D. Mason designed the house for Cobbs.[6] In 1905, additions were made to the house, including adding a reading room over the porte cochere and extending the east wing.[6] In 1912, the Cobbs moved to Oregon to supervise the Cobbs & Mitchell logging operations there, and in 1917 had an impressive Jacobethan mansion built in Portland.[5] Maud Louise Cobbs died in Portland in 1940; Frank J. Cobbs died in 1951.[5]
Description
The Frank J. Cobbs House is a three story Colonial Revival house with clapboard siding and a gambrel roof clad in red cedar shingles.[2] The center of the front facade projects slightly forward and is surmounted by a gambrel-roof gable. One end of the house has a gable-roofed wing, while the other has what was once a porte cochere, which is now enclosed with an added second story room. The central portion of the facade projects slightly forward of the primary facade plane and is topped by a gambrel-roof gable. The exterior contains a variety of decorative elements, including a Palladian window, windows with molded caps, round-head dormers, and fluted columns and pilasters.[2]
A former carriage house, matching the main house in style, is sited nearby.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.