123 North Ann Arbor Street

Zalmon Church House - ca. 1937
Photo Courtesy of Saline Area Historical Society

Photo by Lori Swick
February 2013

Architectural Description: This building is currently used for commercial purposes on the lower level and residential on the second story. The structure is a fine example of Italianate architecture and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The core of the building is a cube with a low-pitched hipped roof. The structure is three bays wide, two stories in height, and has an off-center entrance with paired box supports and a wrought iron railing on the flat roof above. There is a side-gabled wing on the south side of the structure, which was added in 1946. To the rear of the building is a one-and-one-half story addition with a separate entry porch (Kosky and Glynn). The exterior is brick, which has been painted. Many fine features of the Italianate style exist on this structure, such as the wide eaves with paired brackets, the segmental arched lintels above the windows and decorative sills below.

History: This structure is one of the oldest in Saline. Built in 1860, it represents the first wave of residential construction north of the "four corners." The original owner, Zalmon Church, was street commissioner in 1869. He also held several other village posts. After his death in 1880, his estate went to his daughter, Mary Eaton Church. Mary was the wife of Peter Eaton, a prominent resident of Saline at the time. It is uncertain whether the Eatons actually lived in this house.

Sources: "Historic District Study Committee Report for the North Ann Arbor Street Local Historic District." 2004

Kosky & Glynn Associates. "Historical and Architectural Survey." Saline, Michigan. 1994.

Saline Area Historical Society photo available through the Saline District Library http://saline.lib.mi.us/

Suggested Reading: McAlester, Virginia & Lee.  A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1984.

Prepared by Lori Swick
April 17, 2013