For more virtual tours and tour information visit HCNI Home Tour Page
About the House
This German Renaissance Revival mansion, designed by Crane and Barkhausen, was built in 1901 for William Starke, proprietor of the Lake Michigan Dredge and Dock Co. Stark’s wife, Louisa, was a Manegold, and it seems likely that her parents were William and Mathilda Manegold, who lived nearby at 3009 W. Highland Blvd. (Also on this year's tour.)
In 1919, two years prior to his death, Starke was also listed as vice president of the Concordia Fire Insurance Co. and the Old Line Life Insurance Co. of America. The Stark’s daughter, Louise, married Fred Gettelman, Jr of the brewing family. In 1906 Fred was assistant brewmaster and by 1926, he was secretary of the Gettelman Brewing Company. By 1923 the young couple had moved in with the widowed Mrs. Starke, and it’s believed they raised their family in the home until 1933. At that point the house became a Gamma Theta Pi Fraternity. It housed a law office beginning in the early 1990s. In 2018 it again became a single family home.
Of note is the color of the exterior brick, the cut stone and stone carvings, and the masonry arches at the side entrance. This gracious structure was almost lost to fire in 2001. The fire consumed the back half of the roof and much of the second and third floors. City firefighters and neighbors worked tirelessly to salvage all that could be saved. Fortunately the highly decorative areas of the first floor were conserved and beautifully restored.
About the Tour
When: Saturday, June 15th, 2019 10AM--4PM
Where: Tour headquarters is Greater Utopian Pentecostal, 2925 W State St.
Cost: $17 in advance. $20 day of event.
Phone: 414.459.9375 Website: www.hcni.org/home-tour
For more 360 interactive images and virtual tours visit the main Tour de Force 360 website.
