The Oaklands is a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

owned by

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

, located at 1815 West Michigan Avenue in Kalamazoo, Michigan. 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

Robert S. Babcock came to Kalamazoo in 1850 and opened a dry goods store. He prospered, and in 1869 he left to head the new First National Bank. At the same time, Babcock had this home constructed, finishing in 1870. Babcock named it "The Oaklands." However, the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the ...

forced Babcock to sell his home. The Oaklands was vacant for a time, owned by E.R. Gard of Chicago. In 1876, the house caught fire, just before it was to be auctioned to satisfy a debt to local wagonmaker Benjamin Austin. Austin rebuilt the house and lived there through the 1880s. In 1893, he turned it over to his daughter, Amelia, and her husband Daniel Streeter. Streeter had been a railroad builder, first in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

and

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. He later built lines for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from D ...

the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

, the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

, and the

Chicago and North Western Transportation Company The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befo ...

, among others. Streeter was also a horse breeder, and in 1895, on this property, Peter the Great was foaled. In 1898, Peter won the

Kentucky Futurity The Kentucky Futurity is a stakes race for three-year-old trotters, held annually at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky since 1893. It is part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters. In the 2007 race, Donato Hanover's winning time ...

, and he went on to become one of the greatest sires in trotting history. The Streeters lived in The Oaklands through Daniel Streeter's death in 1909 and into the 1910s. The family sold the house to Dr. Charles Boys in 1920. Boys but in a golf course on the surrounding land, and the house was used as a clubhouse. In 1944, Western Michigan University acquired the property and constructed buildings around the house. The Oaklands served for many years as the residence of the university president, and later as the school's reception center. The house was refurbished in 1988, and was later made into a guest house and bed and breakfast.

Description

The Oaklands Is a twenty-three-room, two-story

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 ...

house located in a grove of oak trees. The house is an irregular plan, made from stuccoed brick. It has a low hip roof with a

belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco *Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...

in the center. The house has paneled brick chimney stacks, round-headed windows, and a projecting tripartite entrance with stylized Corinthian pilasters. Heavy brackets are under the eaves, along with a paneled frieze and dentils.

References

External links

The Oaklands
bed and breakfast {{DEFAULTSORT:Oaklands, The National Register of Historic Places in Kalamazoo County, Michigan Gothic Revival architecture in Michigan Buildings and structures completed in 1870