A wonderful and modest example of the Queen Anne style, 627 Gott was built by carpenter George W. Clark and his wife Ella in 1890 as an investment property. The Clarks never lived in the house but nearby on Hiscock Street. Early tenants included John Jenkins, a printer for the Ann Arbor Argus, and lather George Quintal and his wife Martha.

George Clark’s talents as a carpenter are evident in many details of the building: the decorative bargeboards with recessed panels, the sunburst in the gable, and a band of decorative cut shingles that wraps around the entire middle of the house. The front facade and side wing both feature large Queen Anne windows with multi-colored glass panes. The porches are small and restrained, with the lower porch featuring simple turned columns and recessed paneling in the frieze. The upper porch features shingled posts and decorative shingle siding. In 1995, owners James and Renee Mitchell, who had owned it since 1976, received a Preservation Award from the Historic District Commission for their constant maintenance over the years and for converting it back to a single-family house.

The home has a more recent large addition, which was designed not to compete with or detract from the original architecture. It forms a studio for Kate Tremel, ceramic artist and lecturer at the U-M Penny Stamps School of Art and Design. Tremel has had studio sales from the house from time to time. Since 2004, it has been the home of Tremel and Joshua Cole, Professor of History at U-M and Director of the Center for East European Studies.

Former IHP

Return to Miller Road/Water Hill/Sunset neighborhood from Historic Ann Arbor: An Architectural Guide