Jacob Vandawarker House, 1844

220 North Fifth Avenue Jacob Vandawarker House, 1844 Jacob Vandawarker came to Ann Arbor from Herkimer County, New York in 1834 and wasted no time in getting married and setting up a shoemaking business. After a decade he was able to purchase two large lots and construct this fine brick "Philadelphia townhouse." The elaborate front door surround, with its transom and sidelights, was a common design feature in the 1840s but had almost disappeared by the 1850s when the Greek Revival style was at its height in Ann Arbor. In addition to the door, the house has other features reflecting the mingling of the Federal and Greek Revival styles. These include the simple stone lintels over the windows, the six-over-six window pane arrangement, the long side of the house facing the street, and the modillion detailing under the eaves. One interesting feature is the "blind" or fake window placed on the north wall for the sake of symmetry. The full front porch dates to the 1860s when porches, particularly with Italianate gingerbread and thin chamfered columns, were the height of fashion. The Ann Arbor Courier lamented Vandawarker's death in 1881: "Soon none will be left to tell the tale of the early settlement of Michigan." Local artist Charles Ciccarelli recently immortalized in a print, the shoemaking enterprise Vandawarker operated on the west side of Main Street between Huron and Washington for almost 50 years. Sons Edwin and Frank Vandawarker took over their father's business and continued to live in this house until World War I. Occupied as a single family house until the 1930s, it became a rental property during the Depression and was somewhat neglected. In 1978 it was restored inside and out by local realtors Casey and Myra Jones, who received a preservation award in 1984 from the Ann Arbor Historic District Commission for their efforts.