Davenport, William H., House

Born in New York State in 1826, William H. Davenport was brought to Michigan with his family the following year. After his father's death, William moved to Saline and, at the age of twelve, began working as a mercantile clerk. In 1851 he married Zilpha Parsons and entered into partnership with H. J. Miller in a general store. Two years later, he bought out Miller's interest and, over the years, became the town's most prominent merchant. About 1875 Davenport hired William Scott, a Detroit architect, to design a residence befitting his position in the community and the needs of his family. A commodious two-and-a-half story Second Empire residence was constructed of the finest materials. Attending the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition the following year, Mr. and Mrs. Davenport selected many of the furnishings for the house from the displays of American and European manufacturers. Howell Taylor, an Ann Arbor architect, studied the house in 1945, stating that it was 'thoroughly well done both in point of construction and workmanship and in functional planning. As an expression of the period there could be no finer example. The very best materials and workmanship were put into it.' In 1885 Davenport started a private bank, having abandoned the general store two years earlier. The bank became publicly owned in 1902 and was known as the Citizens' Bank of Saline. After Davenport's death in 1909, the house remained in the family. Carl Alward Curtiss inherited the house and its antique furnishings about 1930. As a close friend of the family and a bank employee, Curtiss had been 'like a son' to members of the family. It is now the residence of his son, Bliss A. Curtiss. The sole occupant of a large city block on the eastern edge of the town of Saline, the Davenport House is an imposing Second Empire-style structure featuring a slate mansard roof and matching carriage barns. The house is in mint condition and decorated in the original hardwood furnishings and woodwork. It was designed by William Scott for Saline's most prominent merchant and banker, William H. Davenport.

Built about 1875 for banker William H. Davenport, the Davenport House is a Second Empire mansion dominating the entrance to the small town of Saline. The house stands alone in the center of a large city block on the eastern edge of town. Around the house is a fenced-in park-like yard of mature plantings. The frame house consists of two-and-a-half-stories with slate mansard roof and corner tower. It rests on a high cut stone foundation and features ornate brackets, corbels, lintels, and dormers. The finest hardwoods were employed throughout the house. The walnut, butternut, and maple trims remain unpainted. The house is filled with antiques purchased at the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876. A butternut and walnut hat rack etagere, rising to a height of eleven feet, is particularly impressive as are the two bedroom suites of the same hardwoods. Carved interior window cornices adorn the full-length windows, while sculptured plaster decorates the high ceilings. Over the years, only bathrooms have been added and the kitchen modernized. Behind the house stand two original carriage barns with slate mansard roofs and exterior trim to match the house.