213 South Ann Arbor Street

Undated Historical Photo of the Lambarth House
Courtesy of the Saline Area Historical Society

Photo by Cynthia Christensen
October 2012

Architectural Description: This is a one-and-one-half story, Craftsman/Bungalow style house. There is a gabled dormer on the west-facing façade with a ribbon of four windows. This house is a wonderful representation of the Craftsman Style, in which natural materials were commonly used. On the Lambarth house, these elements include the cobblestone piers, balustrade and foundation. There are wood shingles on the second story gables. The first story exterior had originally been clad in Kellastone Stucco and later covered with aluminum siding. The exterior now appears to have been returned to its original stucco look. Triangular knee bracing and exposed rafters can be seen under the wide, overhanging eaves. The south elevation contains a bay with a shed roof as well as a brick chimney that pierces the eave and roof. The two-car hipped roof garage was built around the same time as the house.

History: Local carpenters Adolph Lindemann and Andrew Hartman, among others, built this house in ca. 1922 for Sam and Olga Lambarth. The Lambarth family lived here for over fifty years. Mr. Lambarth was the manager of the lumber division of the Saline Mercantile (405 North Ann Arbor St.) for a number of years before he purchased a local lumber company with his brother Rueben. The pair renamed the business "Lambarth Brothers Lumber Co." Sam Lambarth had also been a member of Mathew Rentschler’s carpentry crew, which was responsible for building many of the local houses and barns in the Saline area. In the 1920s, many homes constructed in the Craftsman style were from "kit houses", which were often purchased from a catalog company, such as Sears (Kosky, 57). There were several mail order catalogs available from various companies at this time. Further research needs to be conducted to determine if this indeed was indeed a "kit house", and if so, which catalog the plan may have originated from.

Sources: "Historic District Study Committee Report for the South Ann Arbor Street Local Historic District." 2007.

Jensen, Sharon. “A Profile of Saline’s Historic Properties: 213 South Ann Arbor Street." Graduate Student Report, Eastern Michigan University, 2003.

Kosky, Susan. Images of America: Saline, Michigan. Chicago, Illinois: Arcadia Publishing Co., 2003.

Kosky & Glynn Associates. "Intensive Survey, South Ann Arbor Street, Saline, Michigan." 1994.

Saline Area Historical Society. Lambarth house photo and description accessed through the Saline District Library on April, 2013. http://saline.lib.mi.us/

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

Prepared by Lori Swick
April 17, 2013