The levitated position of a duplex house at 121-123 N. Main has left many drivers and walkers wondering if a historic home is getting ready to leave downtown.
It’s actually part of a renovation project to return the house to a single-family unit, said City Manager Jonathan Smith.
“Unfortunately, upon start of the work, they discovered that the old foundation was in poor shape and a new foundation would be required,” Smith said. “So the house has been jacked-up so that the builder can install a new foundation. There are no plans to move the house.”
The original section of the house was built about 1850 as a simple Midwestern adaptation of the Greek Revival style, according to the Clarkston Community Historical Society.
Changes since then include turned spindle supports on the front porch, in the later Victorian style.
A two-car garage at the rear was built in the 1920s by Earl Walter, who had a trucking business. He and his wife and daughters lived above the garage while he stored his trucks below. On Saturdays, he would gather the produce, especially potatoes, from the surrounding farms and deliver it to the Eastern Market in Detroit. In Detroit, he filled orders from Clarkston merchants for goods for their stores.
– Phil Custodio