Century-old farmhouse gets a face-lift in Ann Arbor

Redesign shows off steel roof, orange trim and a huge bookcase

By R.J. King / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- After spending more than $200,000 restoring a 1888 farmhouse along Main Street in Ann Arbor, highlighted by a galvanized steel roof, orange trim and a 2 1/2-story bookcase, Peter A. Davis is having second thoughts.

"I should have torn the house down like my architect suggested, but there was something that kept driving me to restore the place into our offices," said Davis, partner with Carol A. Kuhnke of Davis & Kuhnke PC, a law firm specializing in personal injury cases.

Davis is part of a growing trend in urban redevelopment in which dilapidated structures are restored to their original grandeur, though some are altered significantly to reflect modern conveniences and tastes.

The wood-frame farmhouse, which Davis purchased in 1997, was no exception. To open up the second floor, the attorney had the ceiling and roof joists removed and replaced by three steel cables.

"My favorite color has always been orange, and I saw these homes in Houston with steel roofs, so that's where the metal inspiration came from. About 75 percent of the farmhouse was gutted. There were a lot of little rooms in here," he said.

Another unique feature is an exterior concrete ramp with stainless-steel hand rails that wind around two sides of the building. The ramp, which has an internal heater to melt snow and ice, was built to accommodate the law firm's personal injury clients.

"We saved eight windows, one of which was stained glass that we used as the palette for the interior design," Davis said. "All the furniture was custom-made." We also had a lot of shelves put in so that I could display my collection of antiques, folk art and modern art."

The redesign was a major challenge for Robert and Maureen McGovern Kraemer, who have undertaken several downtown Detroit projects, including restoration of the Parker Webb Building and three new restaurants -- Harmonie Pointe Grille, Intermezzo and Ja-Da.

"One of the reasons for the metal roof was that many old farmhouses used metal because it lasts a lifetime," said Robert Kraemer, principal of Kraemer Design Group in Detroit's Harmonie Park. "It costs about 50 percent more than shingles, but it lasts so much longer"

"We suggested the house wasn't suitable for the law firm. They needed a large library. But Peter told us to proceed. So the theme of the house became this 2 1/2-story bookcase. That became the spine of the house that every room is connected to."

Like many communities, Ann Arbor is in the midst of a building boom that stems from low interest rates, strong corporate profits and high consumer confidence.

Just north of downtown, Phoenix Land Development Inc. plans to build 190 condominiums on a sloped wooded terrain along North Main that will overlook the Huron River. The $42-million project is expected to open next year.

Other Ann Arbor investments include a $1.2-million Information Technology Systems Center for the University of Michigan built by the DeMattia Group in Plymouth and a $20.3-million purchase of the Burlington Office Center by Great Lakes REIT in Chicago.

Copyright 1999, The Detroit News