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This house built in the summer of 1884 for Marcus Eugene Carlton and his wife, the former Lydia E. Shoup. Lydia's parents, Lemuel W. and Laura Shoup, were pioneer settlers of Oakland Township who lived on East Street in Rochester after they retired from farming. Lydia Shoup married M. Eugene Carlton in 1881, and three years later her parents sold a lot on East Street to the young couple so that they could build a home. In May 1884, the Rochester Era announced that "M.E. Carlton will soon commence the erection of a beautiful Swiss cottage on the lot just north of his father-in-law L.W. Shoup's residence." A few weeks later, the newspaper's readers learned that the house would be a substantial one, designed by a prominent architect who was well-known in Rochester. The Era reported on June 19, 1884:"M.E. Carlton has let the contract for building his residence on North Oliver st., to Arkin &amp; Jones, for $2,000. The design is Swiss cottage, with all the modern attachments, combinations and improvements. According to the plans and specifications, which were executed by John Scott, of Detroit, "Gene" will have, when completed, one of the handsomest and best appointed residences in this section of country." (In the late decades of the 19th century, East Street was referred to as Oliver Street and is even so labeled on some maps.) John Scott, architect of the Carlton house, was not only becoming a prominent Detroit architect at the time, he was also the son-in-law of Lysander Woodward of Rochester. John Scott designed a number of buildings of note, some of which are now on the National Register of Historic Places, including the 1902 Wayne County Courthouse, the 1888 Gogebic County Courthouse, and his personal residence on East Ferry Street in Detroit. In Rochester, John Scott was also the architect of the old Congregational parsonage house on Third and Pine. Of architect Scott, the Detroit Free Press said this in its front-page obituary in 1928:[begin quote]John Scott, dean of Detroit architects at the time of his retirement from active business a few days ago, died late Thursday at his country home near Rochester following a brief illness.A simple funeral service will be held at his home Sunday afternoon with burial in Rochester. Mr. Scott is survived by a brother, Arthur, and a sister, Miss Anna Scott, both of Windsor. His wife, the late Emma Woodward Scott, died May 6, 1928, 53 years after their marriage.John Scott was born in Ipswich, England, May 10, 1850, and came to Detroit with his father while he was still a young man. He became one of the city's great architects, building the Wayne county building, the Old Cadillac hotel, the Grosse Pointe home of Dr. H. N. Torrey and many other of the city's finest residences.He was a member of the Detroit club and a member until recent years of the Detroit Country club the Bloomfield Hills Country club and other organizations. He was an ardent music lover and a substantial patron of the Detroit Symphony. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a former president of the Michigan branch of this organization.[end quote] The Carltons had lived in their beautiful new home on East Street for only two years. In 1886, they relocated to Flint and established the M.E. Carlton book and stationery store. The business prospered and was a major office supply outlet in Flint for decades during the first half of the twentieth century. For a time in the late 1970s, the house was the location of Heidi's Swiss Pastry Shoppe. It is currently subdivided into private apartments.

The Marcus Eugene Carlton house, built in 1884,  is significant as the work of prominent Michigan architect John Scott, who was noted for his design of numerous public building across Michigan, including the 1902 Wayne County Courthouse in Detroit. The house was built as Carlton's first marital residence. In 1886, he moved to Flint, Michigan, where he was a prominent businessman operating a stationery and office supply company. This house is an excellent local example of Queen Anne architecture and the early residential work of John Scott.

Marcus Eugene Carlton House, west elevation, 2012

Marcus Eugene Carlton House

Several of the fine homes built by Rochester's merchant and professional class can still be seen in the downtown area. Among them are two houses designed by prominent Detroit architect John Scott, a Queen Anne home designed by Fisher Brothers of Pontiac, and an English Country Manor-style residence designed by MacFarlane, Maul and Lentz of Detroit. The oldest home on this tour is the Italianate Victorian house built for John B. Oliver, a veteran of the Napoleonic wars and one of Rochester's early landowners.

The preponderance of evidence in deed and property tax records for this lot indicates that the house at 324 East Street was built for John B. Oliver in approximately 1865. Lot 125 was sold by John E. Oliver to his father, John B. Oliver (1794-1875) in 1863; the taxable value of the lot appears to indicate no building on the lot before 1865, but in 1866, the taxable value of the lot had doubled while the value of adjacent lots remained unchanged.John B. Oliver was born in France in 1794 with the name Jean Baptiste Olivier. He immigrated to the United States from France with his family aboard the ship La Leonarde and arrived in New York on August 29, 1828. The 1877 History of Oakland County documents him as one of only two veterans of the Napoleonic Wars living in Oakland County at that time. He was a cabinetmaker by trade. His obituary indicated that he had fought with Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo and was wounded in the battle. Before he died in Rochester in 1875, he requested that he be buried with his old sword and scabbard lying across his chest. According to the newspaper, his final wishes were granted.Samuel Harris, an early resident of Rochester who relocated to Chicago after the Civil War, published his reminiscences of Rochester's pioneer days in the Rochester Era in 1909. Harris mentioned the Oliver house in his installment of November 8, 1909, as follows:[begin quote]John Oliver, the Frenchman, came to Rochester long ago. He claimed that he was in the French army under Napoleon, and always stuck to it that he was in the battle of Waterloo. As I remember, he had two sons and three daughters. I have lost track of them all. He built a house on the flat on the corner directly in front of Charley Cook's house and one square west of the Woolen Mills.[end quote]Oliver sold Lot 125 to Nehemiah Ralston in October 1866. Ralston and his family were natives of Northampton County, Pennsylvania and had lived there until the end of the Civil War. Nehemiah and Mary Ralston were listed as resident taxpayers in the village of Rochester from 1866 when they purchased the lot until they sold it in 1872; they owned no other property within Avon Township or the village of Rochester, so it is reasonable to assume that they were living on Lot 125 at the time. Vital records also indicate that the Ralstons had an infant child who died while they were living in Rochester in 1869.Nehemiah Ralston sold Lot 125 to Rochester merchant Abram Horn in February 1872, and the 1872 plat map of Avon Township and Rochester shows the house standing on the lot at that time. In 1873, the brick house is mentioned specifically in a newspaper article noting that Abram Horn had sold it to James E. Riggs, another Rochester merchant, after owning it for less than two years. Riggs sold or traded the house to Orestes Millerd in 1878. The Pontiac Gazette of July 26, 1878, reported as follows:[begin quote]Mr. Orestus Millerd [sic] and Mr. James E. Riggs have just perfected a trade or exchange of property, which places Mr. Millerd in possession of the brick house and premises on Oliver street, into which he moved last Wednesday. Mr. Riggs' family will remain there also for the present, but we understand will ultimately remove to Arkansas on property taken in part in exchange for his place here.[end quote]The house was subsequently owned by Millerd and his family for a number of years. The Millerd heirs sold the house to H. Frank Stone, who sold it to Hiram C. Hadden in 1904. The Haddens owned the property for thirty years, and in 1944, it was converted to use as a nursery school, thus ending the building's service as a private residence. In 1969 the house was purchased by Oscar J. Sorenson, who operated it as a private museum he called "Wedgewood Hall." Sorenson built an addition on the back of the house to replace an old summer kitchen. The building has housed several businesses in the intervening time, including the Martin Insurance Agency, a clothing store called The Nest, and Kosch Catering. In 2021, the building became the home of a private event venue called The Social Space.

This two-story brick dwelling was built circa 1865 for John B. Oliver (also known as Jean Baptiste Olivier) in standard upright gable front-and-wing configuration typical of the Greek Revival. The house has decorative influences of the Italianate Victorian: wide eaves supported by heavy double brackets, narrow 1/1 and 2/2 windows crowned by decorative arched window hoods, and a front bay window on the first floor, topped by decorative ironwork.

John B. Oliver House

Rochester businessman and civic leader George M. Flumerfelt built this house as his personal residence three years after marrying his second wife, the former Clara Crissman. The Rochester Era of May 24, 1895 carried the following description of the planned house:[begin quote]Fisher Bros. have completed plans and specifications for a very fine modern frame house for G.M. Flummerfelt, of Rochester. The structure will be 56x40 feet, two stories and an attic, with octagon corner tower. The basement will be divided into furnace and coal rooms, vegetable cellar, etc., with cement floors, with outside and inside entrances. The ground floor will have a parlor, hall, sitting, bed and bath rooms, kitchen and summer kitchen, pantry, dumb waiter, etc. The hall and front stair case will be of panel work; the sitting room with have mantel, grate and tiled hearth, and the whole first floor is to be finished in oak; and the dining room floor to be of inlaid beech and oak. A colonial porch will extend across two sides, divided by a corner tower.The second floor is to be divided into four chambers and store room, with closets throughout, all to be finished in Georgia pine, and have balconies over porches. Attic unfinished. The roof will be hipped, with gables and dormers and of slate and with galvanized iron crestings and finials. All windows to be of double thick American glass and doors of double polished plate and art glass.This will be the finest residence in the village, and reflect credit upon Mr. Flummerfelt, as well as its young designers.[end quote] The Era further reported on June 14: "G. M. Flummerfelt [sic] has broken ground for his new residence corner Walnut and Fourth Streets." On June 27, the paper reported: "D. B. Kressler has secured the contract for building G. M. Flummerfelt's new residence, over seven other bidders. Dan always gets there and can build a house cheaper and as good as any man in the county." The architects, William John Fisher and his brother, Charles A. Fisher, were born in Pontiac, Michigan, the sons of German immigrants. Both brothers earned degrees from the University of Michigan and founded an architecture and engineering partnership in Pontiac in 1895. Among the firm's projects were the Rapids Motor Company plant, the 1913 Fisher Block at the corner of Huron and Wayne streets in Pontiac, and numerous schools and business blocks. In 1928, funeral director Alanson C. Hobart purchased the home, and after adding a garage and remodeling the house, moved his funeral business there in the spring of 1929. The William R. Potere Funeral Home followed Hobart in 1950, and in 1986 John and Mary Modetz purchased the funeral home from Potere and renamed it the Potere-Modetz Funeral Home. William R. Potere added new chapel and garage space to the building in 1960. The 1912 History of Oakland County includes a biography of George M. Flumerfelt which reads in part:[begin quote]Mr. Flumerfelt was born in Oakland township, on September 7, 1838, being a son of William and Esther (Pittinger) Flumerfelt, both of whom were natives of New Jersey. His father was a contractor and builder until he came to Michigan in 1834, locating in Oakland township. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of land and added to this until he had six hundred acres. At the time of his death he was the possessor of five hundred acres. He died in 1884, and his wife followed in 1897. There were nine children in their family: Rebecca and William C., who are both deceased; George M., the subject of this sketch; Margaret, wife of James J. Frost, of Lansing, Michigan; Charlotte, widow of George Green, of Albion, Michigan; Samuel A., Louis C., Abi and Serepta, all of whom are deceased, the last two dying in infancy.Mr. Flumerfelt attended the district schools and for one year went to high school, and then engaged in work on the farm. He went to Ohio to farm when he was twenty-one, and the following year departed on his extensive western trip. He married Rebecca Cummins on May 10, 1864,and she died in 1890. Their children were four in number: Charles A., deceased; Lizzie, wife of Clark J. Christman, of Alpine, Michigan; William H., of Wyandotte, Michigan; and Walter G., of Detroit, the latter being a machinist. For his second wife Mr. Flumerfelt chose Clara E. Crissman, a daughter of Charles and Laura (Parish) Crissman. They were married on October 19,1892. Mr. Crissman was a native of New Jersey, while his wife was from New York. They came to Michigan in 1832, locating in McComb county, where he followed farming all his life. He died in 1902, his wife having expired six years previously. To their union nine children were born.George M. Flumerfelt is a Democrat politically. He has held many of the local offices. He was town clerk, was a member of the village board for twelve years, and member of the school board. He was president of the State Savings Bank, then invested with the National Bank, and is a director of the latter. He affiliates with the Methodist church and belongs to the Masonic order and its auxiliary, the Order of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Flumerfelt also belongs to the Eastern Star and was chaplain of her chapter for a number of years.[end quote]

This Queen Anne-style Victorian residence was built for local businessman George M. Flumerfelt in 1895. Designed by the Fisher Brothers architecture firm of Pontiac, it features Palladian windows and an octagonal corner tower. Flumerfelt built the house approximately three years after his marriage to his second wife, the former Clara Crissman. George Flumerfelt lived in the home until his death in 1917; his widow, Clara, sold the property in 1928, after which it became the home of the A. C. Hobart Funeral Home. William R. Potere and Potere-Modetz funeral homes succeeded Hobart.  Since 1928, the house has undergone numerous alterations and additions to accommodate the funeral home business.

George M. Flumerfelt House

William Clark Chapman was born in Proctorsville, a village in the township of Cavendish, Windsor County, Vermont on March 1, 1866, the third of four children and the youngest son of Clark H. Chapman (1822-1888) and Ellen M. Sherwin (1833-1898). Clark Chapman was a prominent man in Windsor County, Vermont; he was an attorney, delegate to a state constitutional convention, and Register of the Probate Court. The family variously lived in Ludlow, Cavendish, and Proctorsville, Vermont, all neighboring towns within Windsor County, until 1882, when Clark H. Chapman decided to move his family to Detroit.William C. Chapman was sixteen years old when his family moved from Vermont to Michigan. His older brother and only living sibling, Charles Sherwin Chapman (1864-1912), was eighteen. William attended a business college and then took a position as bookkeeper for Detroit lumber and real estate magnate William C. Yawkey (1834-1903). One of Michigan's great lumber barons, Yawkey's holdings included vast timberlands in Minnesota and Wisconsin. William Chapman spent eight years learning the lumber business from Yawkey and then spent four years on his own working in the lumber trade in Rhinelander, Wisconsin before returning to Detroit. In 1891, Yawkey and William's brother, Charles S. Chapman, organized the Western Knitting Mills in Detroit and brought William on board as secretary-treasurer of the company.WKM moved to Rochester in 1896, building a state-of-the-art factory on Water Street at the foot of Fourth, and establishing itself as the community's primary employer for a generation. Both Charles and William Chapman made their homes in the village of Rochester. William Chapman married Ada Josephine Barney (1869-1955) in his old home of Ludlow, Vermont in March 1890. Ada Barney was the daughter of a Vermont businessman in the granite and marble industry, and was a member of the 1889 graduating class of the Black River Academy in Ludlow, where Calvin Coolidge was one of her classmates. The couple had one son, Carroll Barney Chapman (1890-1990).After making the decision to locate permanently in Rochester, William Chapman purchased for his home the former Lorenzo D. Morse residence at 311 Walnut Street, (which had been occupied most recently by Joseph D. Partello, former superintendent of the old woolen mill in Rochester that had been bought out by WKM). Chapman made several improvements to the frame house, including adding a wrap-around porch. He also became heavily involved in real estate development in the village of Rochester, and platted three subdivisions: the Ludlow Addition and W. C. Chapman Addition on the west edge of town in 1899, and the Chapman and Yawkey addition at the south edge of the village in 1900. Chapman owned various business and residentiallots throughout the village and is responsible for the construction of a significant portion of the housing stock that was built in the village in the first decade of the twentieth century, partially in response to a need for additional housing for laborers employed by Western Knitting Mills as the company grew in national prominence.In 1916, Chapman moved his house at 311 Walnut to another lot that he owned immediately to the west of it on Pine Street (now numbered 311 Pine), and contracted for the construction of a grand, new residence at the 311 Walnut address. The Rochester Era reported on April 14, 1916:"William C. Chapman will move his present residence on Walnut street back to his lot on Pine street purchased of Lew Bitters, and will erect a modern bungalow on the site."Far from a bungalow, the house was actually a 5,000-square foot Italian Renaissance style mansion designed by MacFarlane, Maul &amp; Lentz of Detroit that cost $45,000, according to this report, published in the late summer of 1916:"The plans for W. C. Chapman's new $45,000 residence on Walnut street are out and work is being rapidly pushed. The basement is well under way and it is expected the building will be completed this season."The American Contractor issue of July 1, 1916, described the work as follows for potential contractors:"Res. 2-sty, 87x50, Rochester, Mich. Archts. MacFarlane, Maul &amp; Lentz, D.W. bldg., Detroit. Owner Wm. C. Chapman, Rochester. Archt. taking bids. Hollow tile, shingle roof, hot water htg."Aside from real estate development and his role in the Western Knitting Mills, W. C. Chapman was involved in the community of Rochester as president of the Rochester Savings Bank, and as president of the village of Rochester from 1893 to 1895. William Clark Chapman died at his Walnut Street residence at the age of 80, on May 20, 1946. His remains were sent back to Ludlow, Vermont for burial with other members of the Chapman and Barney families. His wife, Ada, died in 1955 and was buried beside her husband in Vermont.The family home at 311 Walnut remained in the Chapman family until 1973, and since that date has housed a number of businesses. The interior of the building was substantially damaged by fire in July 1934. It was destroyed by another fire on April 17, 1997 and was restored. Most recently, the house was the location of the Chapman House farm-to-table restaurant, from 2016 to 2018.

The William Clark Chapman House is a two-story, 5,000-square-foot residence with side porches and pillars in the Italian Renaissance style. Exterior materials are stone, stucco, and marble. The house was built for William Clark Chapman (1866-1946), who served as secretary-treasurer of Western Knitting Mills in Rochester, president of the Rochester Savings Bank, and president of the Village of Rochester from 1893 to 1895. It is a good local example of the design work of the prominent Detroit architecture firm of MacFarlane, Maul, and Lentz. At the time of its construction in 1916, the house was one of the most luxurious residences in Rochester.

William Clark Chapman House

This home was built in the summer of 1878 by the First Congregational Church of Rochester, for use as its parsonage. Ground was broken on April 17, 1878, with members of the congregation participating in a work bee to dig the foundation. Lysander Woodward's son-in-law, noted architect John Scott of Detroit, designed the home, and Miles King of Rochester was the builder. The contracted amount for the construction was $1,100.00, plus $54.00 for a cistern and fence. The Rochester Era described the new residence this way:"This parsonage is without exception the finest and most complete model of architectural beauty and elegance to be found in the township of Avon, and reflects abundant credit upon not only its architect, Mr. John Scott of Detroit, a son-in-law of Lysander Woodward, but also upon its builder, Mr. Miles King of this village, who of course was assisted by several first class workmen among whom were Mr. Hammond and Mr. Fenner, resident mechanics. The style of architecture is properly Gothic, although there may be perhaps some deviations from the strict letter of the original in a few of the details. The exterior of the structure is finely ornamental, and in a manner that exhibits much architectural taste and refinement, everything being in strict keeping with the rules governing the style. Some of the designs in the ornamentation are really unique and so skillfully executed as to excite our admiration. The bay-window, for instance, which beautifies the east front of the main structure is a model of its kind, being very elaborately finished and trimmed - not in an 'overdone' manner - but with exquisite taste and neatness, the workmanship harmonizing, as before intimated, with every tracery of the designs." The new parsonage welcomed the pastor, the Rev. Mr. Brown, in January of 1879, and was used by the church until 1917, when the congregation decided that the house was too large for its purpose and voted to build a new parsonage immediately behind the church. The 1878 parsonage was authorized to be sold into private hands and has remained a private residence ever since. The 1930 census shows the house as the residence of the William J. Pascoe family. In the 1940 census, the Edward J. Ennis family occupied the house. John Scott was one of Detroit's leading architects in his day. In 1877 he was elected a member of the Western Association of Architects. Mr. Scott was born in Ipswich, England, and emigrated to the U.S. during the 1870s. With a younger brother, Arthur (d.1930) he set up an office in Detroit under the firm name of John Scott &amp; Company, successor to the architecture and engineering firm established earlier by his father, William Scott. Best known examples of the John Scott's executed designs include the old Cadillac Hotel, Wayne County Building, old Receiving Hospital, and many of Detroit's finest homes, as well as industrial and commercialbuildings elsewhere in the state. During the 1920s the Scott brothers moved to new headquarters in the Dime Savings Bank Building and continued practice until 1926 when John retired to spend his remaining years at his home in Rochester. In addition to this house, Scott also designed the Marcus E. Carlton house at 428 East St. in Rochester.

This two-story Victorian Gothic residence with bay window on the east elevation was built in 1878 to serve as the parsonage for the First Congregational Church of Rochester, which stood just to the east at the corner of Third and Walnut streets. The house was used as a parsonage until 1917 when a smaller residence for the pastor was built directly behind the church building. The 1878 parsonage is the design work of noted Detroit architect John Scott, who was the son-in-law of Lysander Woodward of Rochester.

First Congregational Church Parsonage

Building contractors John S. Arkins and Reuben Immick purchased this corner lot at West Third and Oak streets in November 1888. Reuben Immick (1852-1943) began construction of his personal residence there in the spring of 1890. The Rochester Era reported on March 28, 1890:"Reuben Immick who has just finished a fine barn on his lot on Oak street, is filling in the premises with earth, preparatory to erecting a residence thereon." Immick was born in Lower Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania in 1852 and came to Rochester in 1876, where he made his reputation and living as a building contractor in the firm of Arkins &amp; Immick. He also served several terms on the Rochester village council. Immick was married to Ida Butz/Butts, and they had a daughter, Ruth Immick (later Harboldt) who served as deputy probate register of Oakland County. The Immicks moved from Rochester to Orion Township, where Reuben Immick died in 1943. After the Immicks moved from Rochester, the house was the longtime residence of prominent Rochester merchant William Tienken, who lived there until his death in 1947. Tienken had begun his career in the hardware business as a partner in the firm of Tienken &amp; Case. In 1916, he built his own store at 333 S. Main, adjacent to the Case hardware store, and operating a plumbing and heating shop there. He was active in civic affairs and served twelve years on the Rochester village council, six years on the school board, and many years as a member of the governing board of the Congregational church.

This two-story, folk Victorian dwelling was built by building contractor Reuben Immick as his personal residence in 1890. Immick, a native of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, built many of the dwellings in Rochester and was a partner in the firm of Arkins & Immick. Immick was also active in civic affairs, serving several terms on the Rochester village council. The house was later the home of William Tienken, a prominent Rochester merchant and plumbing and heating contractor. The Victorian decorative elements on the house remain mostly intact, as does the two-story carriage barn with cupola at the rear of the lot.

Reuben Immick House

New York native George Washington Vandeventer (1829-1909), who came to Avon Township as a child in 1834, became a successful businessman and civic leader in Rochester. George and his wife, the former Julia Pixley, lost their home to fire on March 26, 1875, and built this Italianate-inspired house soon afterward. The Rochester Era reported on the fire as follows on April 1, 1875:[begin quote]Last Friday morning, at about half-past ten o'clock, fire was seen issuing from the roof of Geo. W. Vandeventer's fine residence on Third street, and before a general alarm could be sounded, the flames were under such complete headway that all thoughts of saving the building were abandoned, and particular attention directed toward removing the furniture from the lower rooms, leaving the upper portion a prey to the fire. Everything below, including the piano, was safely removed, with the exception of numerous articles in the cellar. The house was entirely consumed. There was an insurance policy on the house of $1,700, in the Old Continental, which will just about half cover the loss. The origin of the fire is unknown. Mr. Vandeventer and family are particularly unfortunate, having a few years since lost home and all their earthly possessions by fire, without any insurance to fall back upon. He had finally succeeded once more in obtaining a pleasant and beautiful home, when again the devouring element suddenly deprived him of it.[end quote]The Vandeventers rebuilt their house, this time of brick, during the summer of 1875. On August 12, 1875, the Rochester Era reported that the Vandeventer house was "progressing finely." The fire persuaded George, who served three terms as village president, to lead the campaign to establish the town's first fire department, which was formed in 1882. At the time of the 1920 census, the family of George and Julia Vandeventer's son, Marshall, resided in this house. In the 1930 census, Anna Bowman Vandeventer, the widow of Marshall Vandeventer, was living in the house with the family of William A. and Elsie Abbott. By 1940 the house was occupied by the Elwood A. Strong family. The Vandeventer House was listed on the Michigan Register of Historic Sites in 1998 and features a Michigan Historical Marker in the yard.

The George W. Vandeventer House is a brick, two-story upright and wing house with Italianate detailing. Asymmetrical in form, the house has several additions. While the main facade comprises the end gable of the upright and the side gable wing, a secondary facade has a first story bay window. Painted stone or wooden hood molds top the slightly curved windows throughout the house. Despite later family room and garage additions, the house essentially retains its original appearance.

George Washington Vandeventer House

Dr. William Deats and his wife, Harriet Ann "Hattie" Sprague Deats built this house on property in the Sprague Addition to the village of Rochester in the spring and summer of 1881. William Deats was a native of Lower Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania and established his medical practice in Rochester in 1878. In 1880, he married Harriet Sprague, the daughter of Dr. Rollin Sprague and his wife, Adeline Cooper Sprague. Rollin Sprague was a pioneer businessman and physician in the village of Rochester and built the stone store at the corner of Third and Main (now known as the Home Bakery), which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hattie Deats purchased this property on the corner of Pine and Fifth Streets (now West University Drive) from her mother in April 1881. The property was part of the Sprague Addition, a subdivision of the family's homestead and one of the earliest additions to be made to the plat of Rochester. In the spring of 1881, the Rochester Era noted that local building contractor John Ross had been hired to build the Deats house at a cost of $1,800. Ross was a native of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, as was Dr. Deats. Among the other Rochester buildings that were constructed by John Ross are the Rochester Elevator, the First Congregational Church, the Avon Township Hall, and the Universalist Society church. William Deats decided to move his family and his medical practice back to his home in Pennsylvania in 1884. In 1885, Harriet Deats sold the house and property in Rochester to William Flumerfelt. Flumerfelt lived in the house until his death in 1906, and his widow, Elizabeth "Libbie", continued to live there until her own death in 1924. The house subsequently passed to Elizabeth Flumerfelt's nephew, Henry Wood Axford, who lived in the house for a couple of decades. Henry Axford, who was an attorney, and his wife Helen were prominent members of Rochester's social scene and hosted many parties, club meetings and dinners in their home at 302 W. Fifth (now W. University Drive). After Axford sold the property, the house was used as a physician's office, the Denike import store, an art gallery and a beauty salon at various points in its history. In 2015, the property was owned by Andre and Connie Rewold Nadjarian. William Deats died in his native Northampton County, Pennsylvania in 1891. The Rochester Era noted his passing with the following announcement:"A letter received from Miss Addie Sprague, of Detroit, last Tuesday night, informs us of the death of Dr. William Deats, a former well-known and respected physician of this village, which sad event occurred Sunday, August 2d, at his late home in Martin's Creek, Pa. He was forty years of age and leaves one child -- a daughter of ten years. His wife, nee Hattie Sprague, died three years since at Easton, Pa. She was youngest daughter of Mrs. A. L. Sprague, of Detroit, and sister to R. C. and T. S. Sprague, both of that city. Dr. Deats was a man of education and culture and a writer of no ordinary ability. High-minded and true to his honest convictions, he was a good citizen, public spirited and full of generous promptings. His many old friends will be pained when they hear of his death."

This excellent local example of an Eastlake Victorian dwelling was built for Dr. William Deats by local building contractor John Ross in 1881. Deats was a Rochester physician who married Harriet Sprague, daughter of Rochester physician and merchant Rollin Sprague. The Deats home was built on a lot on the Sprague Addition, a subdivision of the Rollin Sprague property that was one of the earliest additions to the original plat of Rochester.

Domestic Architectural Gems of Downtown Rochester, Michigan