Mumaw House
Mumaw House, 717 North Broad Street
With its soaring tower, elaborate Victorian-era porch and distinctive multi-toned purple finish, the Mumaw House stands out like an amethyst among common stones, a shining architectural gem amidst the other historic homes lining North Broad Street in Adrian. It is an exceptional example of late-19th-century residential architecture.
The Mumaw House exemplifies the Queen Anne style, a popular trend in American architecture between 1885 and 1905. Often thought of as synonymous with Victorian architecture, the Queen Anne movement is characterized by asymmetrical layouts, varied wall textures, towers, and intricate porches. These ornate homes reflected the optimism and economic prosperity of the Victorian era, often featuring bold, multi-colored paint schemes designed to highlight exterior craft details.
The house is a two-and-a-half-story frame structure featuring a square, three-story tower on its southeast corner. Its cross gables, decorative verge boards, and asymmetrical silhouette perfectly define the Queen Anne aesthetic. However, its most striking feature is the full-width wraparound porch designed in the Eastlake style—a sub-movement known for ornate, lathe-turned woodwork, delicate carving, and decorative columns creating an image of lavish wealth and grandeur.
The Mumaw House exemplifies the Queen Anne style, a popular trend in American architecture between 1885 and 1905. Often thought of as synonymous with Victorian architecture, the Queen Anne movement is characterized by asymmetrical layouts, varied wall textures, towers, and intricate porches. These ornate homes reflected the optimism and economic prosperity of the Victorian era, often featuring bold, multi-colored paint schemes designed to highlight exterior craft details.
The house is a two-and-a-half-story frame structure featuring a square, three-story tower on its southeast corner. Its cross gables, decorative verge boards, and asymmetrical silhouette perfectly define the Queen Anne aesthetic. However, its most striking feature is the full-width wraparound porch designed in the Eastlake style—a sub-movement known for ornate, lathe-turned woodwork, delicate carving, and decorative columns creating an image of lavish wealth and grandeur.
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The interior retains classic Victorian features, including sliding pocket doors, textured ceilings, a broad picture window, and a decorative bay window. On the property grounds, an original 19th-century carriage house stands behind the residence, which was later adapted into a garage.
The house was constructed by George Treat, a local carpenter who likely built the residence himself. City directories indicate Treat lived at the address (originally numbered 73 North Broad) as early as 1894 in an earlier, smaller structure. Treat frequently collaborated with Leonard Beck of Beck & Vogt, a premier contracting firm responsible for many of Adrian’s major turn-of-the-century landmarks. The elaborate woodwork on the home's porch likely served as a living advertisement for Treat’s carpentry expertise. |
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While the house’s asymmetrical layout with its square corner tower led to earlier speculation that it originated as an 1860s Italianate villa, historical records from the Adrian Daily Telegram confirm construction actually began in 1897. County tax records list the property as still "under construction" through 1899, suggesting Treat constructed the house gradually as funds permitted.
The Mumaw House occupies an important transitional place in Adrian's architectural history. During the late 1890s, local architecture began shifting away from the highly ornate Eastlake detailing toward the more formal Classical Revival and Colonial Revival styles, which favored formal Classical columns (such as Ionic or Doric order) even on overall Queen Anne layouts. Because the Mumaw House retained its pure Eastlake woodwork without Classical adaptations, architectural historians including Tom Crosby recognize it as one of the last pure Queen Anne-style homes built in Adrian.
The construction of such elaborate residences was made possible by Adrian’s booming industrial economy in the late 19th century. Known as the "Wire Fence Capital of the World," Adrian was home to major manufacturers including the Page Woven Wire Fence Company and Lamb Wire Fence Company. The economic strength of the local fence industry helped shield Adrian from the nationwide effects of the financial Panic of 1893, providing the capital necessary for residents to build ornate, high-style homes.
George Treat may have benefited directly from the prosperity of Page Fence. In 1899, Page Fence opened a new steel plant in Monessen, Pennsylvania. The new plant employed Treat as head of the “pattern department” for the plant, causing him to move to Pennsylvania. He rented out his Broad Street property during his time away before returning to reside at the home from 1907 until approximately 1915.
While Treat constructed the home at 717 North Broad, its longest-serving residents were Archie and Florence Mumaw, from whom the house takes its current name. The Mumaws purchased the property in 1929 from John Nemire following a succession of temporary residents. Florence lived in the home until her passing in 1978, and Archie remained there until his death in 1987—completing 58 years of residence. Archie worked for decades as a shipping clerk at American Chain & Cable, one of Adrian’s largest industries, and both were active members of the local United Methodist Church.
Subsequent owners of the property have included Eugene and Onalee Cheetwood, Greg Iddings, Lisa and Dana Gillin, and current owners Morgan and Jennifer Kaser. In recent years, the exterior was updated to its current purple and red palette, replacing a former green and beige color scheme.
© Paul Plassman, 2027
Sources
Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998, 263-268.
Cara Maib, “The Mumaw House: 717 N. Broad, Adrian, Michigan,” 2014. https://www.adrianarchitecture.org/#/queen-anne/ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5756eb264c2f85a473c70cb8/t/576c5cf4bebafbdcb750d807/1466719477506/Research+Paper+-+Mumaw+House+-+Cara+Maib+%282%29.pdf
Adrian Daily Telegram Archives
Lenawee Historical Museum Archives
The Mumaw House occupies an important transitional place in Adrian's architectural history. During the late 1890s, local architecture began shifting away from the highly ornate Eastlake detailing toward the more formal Classical Revival and Colonial Revival styles, which favored formal Classical columns (such as Ionic or Doric order) even on overall Queen Anne layouts. Because the Mumaw House retained its pure Eastlake woodwork without Classical adaptations, architectural historians including Tom Crosby recognize it as one of the last pure Queen Anne-style homes built in Adrian.
The construction of such elaborate residences was made possible by Adrian’s booming industrial economy in the late 19th century. Known as the "Wire Fence Capital of the World," Adrian was home to major manufacturers including the Page Woven Wire Fence Company and Lamb Wire Fence Company. The economic strength of the local fence industry helped shield Adrian from the nationwide effects of the financial Panic of 1893, providing the capital necessary for residents to build ornate, high-style homes.
George Treat may have benefited directly from the prosperity of Page Fence. In 1899, Page Fence opened a new steel plant in Monessen, Pennsylvania. The new plant employed Treat as head of the “pattern department” for the plant, causing him to move to Pennsylvania. He rented out his Broad Street property during his time away before returning to reside at the home from 1907 until approximately 1915.
While Treat constructed the home at 717 North Broad, its longest-serving residents were Archie and Florence Mumaw, from whom the house takes its current name. The Mumaws purchased the property in 1929 from John Nemire following a succession of temporary residents. Florence lived in the home until her passing in 1978, and Archie remained there until his death in 1987—completing 58 years of residence. Archie worked for decades as a shipping clerk at American Chain & Cable, one of Adrian’s largest industries, and both were active members of the local United Methodist Church.
Subsequent owners of the property have included Eugene and Onalee Cheetwood, Greg Iddings, Lisa and Dana Gillin, and current owners Morgan and Jennifer Kaser. In recent years, the exterior was updated to its current purple and red palette, replacing a former green and beige color scheme.
© Paul Plassman, 2027
Sources
Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998, 263-268.
Cara Maib, “The Mumaw House: 717 N. Broad, Adrian, Michigan,” 2014. https://www.adrianarchitecture.org/#/queen-anne/ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5756eb264c2f85a473c70cb8/t/576c5cf4bebafbdcb750d807/1466719477506/Research+Paper+-+Mumaw+House+-+Cara+Maib+%282%29.pdf
Adrian Daily Telegram Archives
Lenawee Historical Museum Archives