November 1986 Visit to the Lemuel Botsford House
In 1986, this house had numerous plantings close to its foundation, obscuring its architectural features. The classically pedimented Greek Revival 2 story portion of the house was originally its primary mass. Earlier Greek Revival houses were patterned after the Federal style houses popular immediately before the Greek Revival phase took hold in the later 1820s. They were typically long and thin, with their long axis parallel to the road. This resulted in their ellaborate cornices and cornice returns being on the ends of the house where they could not be easily appreciated from the road. Starting in the mid-1830s in southeast Michigan, builders made the floor plan of the primary mass of these houses nearly square, and turned 90 degrees so that their fine detailing could be appreciated from the road. To provide the remainder of the needed living space, a 1 story wing (typically the kitchen) was built to one side or the other of the main mass. In the case of the Botsford house, the wing was placed to the north of the main mass. These wings were typically 90 degrees to the main mass to allow the inhabitants a greater view of the road. This form later would be called the "Michigan T" farmhouse. It should be noted that in some houses, symmetrical wings were added to both sides of the main mass.
