The Neighbors

One local tradition holds that the Vine neighborhood developed around a cemetery. Then the living residents became concerned about living on the edge of a cemetery. Was the water safe? As a result of these concerns, the city removed the bodies and turned the old cemetery in a park.

This historical memory reverses chronology. While there were a few houses on present-day S. Westnedge Ave., Park Street, and Park Place, houses never encircled the cemetery as they do the park. Bird's eye view maps in the 1860s, 70s, and 80s clearly show few houses around the old cemetery. Removing the visible signs of a cemetery made the area more hospitable for residential development.

One of the first homes introduced close to the grounds was the Allen Porter Octagon house in 1855. Constructed from the plans made by known phrenologist Orson Fowler, the house was built for ‘maximum efficiency.’ With eight walls instead of four, the goal of the design was to get the most use with the least number of exterior walls wasted.

With the cemetery filling and closing in 1862, the structure of the surrounding area was changed. People hesitant to build next to a cemetery now were ready to build on a brand new park. From 1880 until the early 1900’s houses started popping up all around the area.  

Buildings came to surround the park between 1885 and 1930. Many of these houses were built with elements of the Queen Anne type and style, reflecting a delicate ornamentation.

The surrounding area around the park, lovingly dubbed the Vine Neighborhood, is made up of many styles of houses that were popular during the 1800’s. From Greek Revival, to Italianate, and later the incredibly angular Queen Anne. The Vine Neighborhood Historic Preservation lobbied for the area to be named a historic district and in 1995 it became the largest local district in the city. Walking tours of the area have been popular for years because the homes have been maintained well enough to still look like they did when they were built.   

Notes

[1]. Jouppi, Patrick. June 2010. Vine Neighborhood. Kpl.gov/local-history/kalamazoo-history/neighborhoods/vine-neighborhood/   

[2]. Houghton, Lynn.  June 2009. Vine Neighborhood Architecture. Kpl.gov/video/vine-neighborhood-architecture/   

[3]. City of Kalamazoo Directories. https://gis.kalamazoocity.org/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ea78f25c473548779cd26b837e7fd16f 

[4]. (1908) Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Sanborn Map Company. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn04060_005/. 

[5]. Houghton, Lynn & Hall O’Connor, Pamela. 2001. Kalamazoo Lost & Found. City of Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission 

[6]. Historic Preservation Coordinator. Westnedge Avenue, S. 925 Octagon House: Allen Potter Residence https://www.kpl.gov/local-history/kalamazoo-history/houses/westnedge-avenue-s-925-octagon-house-allen-potter-residence/