Henry Montague House
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Henry Montague House in Kalamazoo, Michigan was built in 1861. It includes
Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...
and
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
stylings. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1983.


History

Henry Montague arrived in Kalamazoo in the 1830s from
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, and was closely involved with the abolitionist movement. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1854, and advocated that the state Insane Asylum be located in Kalamazoo. He was ultimately successful, and when the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital opened in 1859, Montague served as its first steward, a post he held until 1884. In 1861, Montague built this "simple but spacious brick home" on land he had purchased adjacent to the Asylum. During his time here, Montague entertained friends in the abolitionist movement, including Sojourner Truth. Montague lived in the house until his death In 1909. After that time, the house served as the residence of various state hospital officials.


Description

The Montague House is a two-story brick structure with a broad, symmetrical facade, including a projecting, veranda-fronted central section. It has square-head windows and a simply detailed transom-and-sidelight entrance, giving the house a
Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...
look. However, the broadly projecting eaves of the house and hip roof show an
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
influence. The house serves as the office for Western Michigan University's Association of American University Professors.


References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Italianate architecture in Michigan Greek Revival houses in Michigan Houses completed in 1861 Buildings and structures in Kalamazoo, Michigan 1861 establishments in Michigan Houses in Kalamazoo County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Kalamazoo County, Michigan {{Michigan-NRHP-stub