What is the best way to research a home that was moved?

[lalynch]

Researching a house in Lincoln Park that was most likely moved to the current site.
Although city records indicate that it was built in 1922 we speculate that it was built late 1800's to early 1900's. An architect at the state historic preservation office dates it at 1880 to 1905 with the style of Folk Victorian. He's based it on these photos on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/album.php?i...861&aid=222217

Would land records link up to where the home came from?
Would Sanborn records be of any help?

Lincoln Park Historical Society says "it didn't belong to one of OUR people" and speculating that it came from southwest Detroit. Thus, it isn't important to them.

[jerrytimes]

I would assume that the city should have records of whether the house was moved or built there.

[Richard]

Personally I do not think it was built as a house the brick work is to fancy for that small of a house,more so for a small bank,school or train ticket station and the wood addition part was added later. I do not see the height as a carriage house and you would definitely see a difference in one end or the other of the brick work.

It may have been a part of a large wealthy estate that was demoed that should be easy enough to track down and match the brick work.

If you could get into the attic and see how it is nailed or pegged in the rafters,smooth square nails would put it in the 20s but rough hand made square nails would definitely put it in the 1800s.

if you post it here http://www.oldhouseweb.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=2

Folk Victorian ? Maybe hints in the addition but not the original part.

[lalynch]

I would assume that the city should have records of whether the house was moved or built there.

Lincoln Park is bad at keeping records. The field sheets at the city assessors office often indicates wrong built dates or sometimes just says 'old.' The field sheet for this house says 1922. As I recall, there was some other sort of notation or number but they didn't know what it meant.

[lalynch]

Personally I do not think it was built as a house the brick work is to fancy for that small of a house,more so for a small bank,school or train ticket station and the wood addition part was added later. I do not see the height as a carriage house and you would definitely see a difference in one end or the other of the brick work.

It may have been a part of a large wealthy estate that was demoed that should be easy enough to track down and match the brick work.

If you could get into the attic and see how it is nailed or pegged in the rafters,smooth square nails would put it in the 20s but rough hand made square nails would definitely put it in the 1800s.

if you post it here http://www.oldhouseweb.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=2

Folk Victorian ? Maybe hints in the addition but not the original part.

I do not think it was a carriage house either because it does not have a wide opening for a carriage house doors.

There is another house in the neighborhood, of which, the brick work matches this home or is very similar.

How would we track down any wealthy estate where it could have come from?

What would you call the style then?

Thanks for the info!

[lalynch]

This particular home, 1132 Lafayette, is very similar to 1385 Montie, in Lincoln Park.
A mid-1970's newspaper article stated that 1385 Montie was a former one room school house but we only had two one room school houses and this isn't it. I was in 1385 Montie a number of years ago just after one couple purchased it. They invested a lot of money into to it and lost it to foreclosure.

1132 Lafayette and 1385 Montie are the only two remaining brick homes of this period and style.

[mikefmich]

That structure is so NOT Italianate in any way, shape or form as it said on the photo site.

Folk Victorian? Well......maybe. How many Victorians do you see with that low of a pitch to the roof?
I have serious doubts that structure started off life as a house.

The configuration of the window sills are suspect.....I would guess those were re-done later in life.

[lalynch]

That structure is so NOT Italianate in any way, shape or form as it said on the photo site.

Folk Victorian? Well......maybe. How many Victorians do you see with that low of a pitch to the roof?
I have serious doubts that structure started off life as a house.

The configuration of the window sills are suspect.....I would guess those were re-done later in life.

What would you classify it as in terms of style?

[wolverine]

Despite that some here think it served other uses, it definitely appears to have always been residential. Notice the bathroom window which appears to smaller and raised up since its original construction. An indoor bathroom would have definitely been a desired modern amenity if built in the late 1800's, but they did exist in some homes back then.

The foundation is a dead giveaway as of the house being moved

[lalynch]

Despite that some here think it served other uses, it definitely appears to have always been residential. Notice the bathroom window which appears to smaller and raised up since its original construction. An indoor bathroom would have definitely been a desired modern amenity if built in the late 1800's, but they did exist in some homes back then.

The foundation is a dead giveaway as of the house being moved

I agree about the bathroom window and the newer foundation.
The architect at the SHPO [[based on the photos) has dated the home from 1880 - 1905.

I'm just not certain how to figure out where this home was moved from. There is not a lot of brick homes, of this period, in Lincoln Park. Just two with the other one being at 1385 Montie, if you googlemap it.

Perhaps if I pull the deeds on this house there will be some sort of clue!