Squint Shot 030812

And now onto something very curious and quite interesting. If you look back over the last couple of weeks, you will see various squint shots I took of the large, white house at 701 East Grand River avenue. As I spent time with the owner of the house, she had heard that this house, moved from the southwest corner of South Second street and East Grand River avenue in the 1930s was only part of the house that was moved. As reported earlier, a small portion of the house, which was used as an office by Dr. Byron Defendorf, was relocated to 235 South Collins street. But given that information that maybe a third portion of the house was moved, I looked back at a 1922 surveyor's map before the house was moved.
It would appear the surveyed shape of the house was two rectangular pieces -- one of them standing at the 701 address we've been looking at, and the other (and this is interesting), the house just east of Citizens Bank. I had an opportunity to go into this house, which has recently changed hands, and much of the inside is being remodeled. The new owner showed me the following vertical beam in the kitchen area. Even though there is no paint on it, does it remind you of the beams we looked at in the 701 house? In conversation with the new owner, he was told this was part of a house that was considered the oldest house in the village that had been moved from the downtown area years ago. Gives credence to the fact this may well be the other rectangular part of the old Defendorf house.


Does anyone have additional information?