Category Archives: Various Greek Elements

West Park

West park was created in 1908 by the City Parks Commission but it wasn’t until 1927 that the gateway was built (Wineberg 2014: 61). The gateway consists of four Doric columns and two trellises where wisteria is draped to give shade visitors. The park has bandshell for outdoor concerts, basketball and tennis courts, volleyball posts, a baseball diamond, spray fountain, playground, picnic tables as well as a walking trail.

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Key Bank (Glazier Building)

The Glazier building was designed in 1906 by architect Claire Allen for Frank Glazier, who was a wealthy banker and the State Treasurer in that year. However he was put in jail for for corruption because he misappropriately used used funds to build this building (Wineberg 2014: 121). After the First National Banked moved away in 1929, it held the offices of the Ann Arbor Trust Company from 1930-1975 (Wineberg ibid.). Although designed in the Beaux Arts style (from France) the building still displays some Greek features such as Doric columns and Ionic pilasters, triglyphs and metopes filled with simple medallions in the entablature, and Greek meanders that outline areas between the windows. Since 1975 it has been home to several banks and in 2008 it underwent a $2 million restoration project that restored its historical features (Zemke 2007).

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220 Main Street

Its not often that you see Corinthian pilasters on a store front, however on Main Street different architectural styles are quite prolific. It seems that no two facades on the street are the same. However, the Italianate commercial style is the dominant type of architecture with its elaborate cornices and double bracketing (under the eaves) that easily stand out from above. In this case, the store that shares the Phoenix Center and Main Street T-Shirts is flanked by two narrow Corinthian pilasters. The one on the right side has eroded away, but on the left the acanthus leaves and flower decoration (the uppermost flower is called the fleuron) are still visible.

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503 North 4th Avenue

The elongated pediments that accent this home’s windows likely draw influence from the classical pediment that was a major element of ancient Greek temples and thus Neoclassical as well Greek Revival architecture.

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727 Oakland

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Ezra Seaman House

The Seaman house before demolition. Source: attribute to “Wystan”, flickr.com.

Built in 1855, Ezra Seaman’s house was a combination of Greek Revival and Italianate styling that featured arched windows and pediments…. (Wineberg 2004: 60) It was demolished in 1938 to make room for a new Methodist church (Wineberg ibid.), which still stands today

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215-217 North Ashley

East side

215-217 North Ashley, east side. Source: Google Maps Street View 2016.

The home’s structural form is similar to the Greek Revival style upright and wing, which consists of a two story upright and a one-and-a-half story wing. Its other Greek elements include gable returns and shuttered windows.

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118 East Kingsley

This home shares resemblance to Greek Revival homes with its gable returns, shuttered windows, and front entrance’s sidelights. Additionally the porch (its columns and entablature-like details) and the detailing above the front door may have taken influence from Greek Revival architecture, but are quite different in their design.

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