My House:
There is an old home just outside of Thompsonville, Michigan that has a very unusual roof. I am interested in any information I can get. This is not my home but an abandoned/unused home.
My Puzzle:
I am interested in the history of this roof type. It may be the home of a lumber baron from the 1890s named Sumner S. Thompson but I am not sure. The roof is turned 45 degrees off axis and I have never seen anything like it. Why would anyone build such a thing? Is it just decorative or is it functional? The home is just north of the Betsie river in Benzie County. I am a writer and would like to use this information as part of a literary project.
Advice
- Would there be any European connections to this home?
- What was the purpose for such a design?
I've responded to another reader's house (link):
Michigan Victorian HouseJackie Craven, Architecture Guide, says:
Interesting! I'm not sure I can see the roof clearly, but wonder if the Victorian house has hipped gables, sometimes called a jerkinhead roof. This type of roof was a stylistic flourish found occasionally on houses built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
