Working group explains on the Lucy Ann Lance show how community ownership brings renewed attention to an 1875 landmark and the stories preserved inside it.
The Davenport Curtiss Mansion has long been one of Saline’s most recognizable landmarks. Now, after its recent purchase by the city, the 1875 Second Empire-style home at 300 E. Michigan Ave. is beginning a new life as a community-owned historic site.
During an Aug. 5 appearance on The Lucy Ann Lance Show, members of the Davenport Curtiss Mansion Working Group described a property whose significance extends well beyond its stately façade. Sue Kelch, a writer for The Sun Times News and chair of the working group’s communications subcommittee, said the mansion shapes the character of Saline’s historic area. “Everyone sees it when they come into town,” Kelch said. “It’s very special.”
The home’s unusual degree of preservation is part of its appeal. Working group chair Rebecca Schneider said only two families have owned the house, and credited the second family with keeping much of it intact. Furnishings purchased at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia remain inside, including carved wooden pieces, bedroom sets, dressers and a hall tree. “It’s just kind of like a little time capsule,” Schneider said…