Christian Walker House, late 1850s

902 West Liberty Street

Christian Walker House, late 1850s

Old Ann Arbor directories indicate that Christian and Katherine Walker lived here beginning in 1870. Christian Walker and his brother were partners in a prosperous wagon manufacturing business on West Liberty near Main Street.

Time and various owners were not kind to the house. At some time along the way the brick was painted and two covered porches removed. The two-story square Italianate structure retains its basic character and still has its bracketed eaves and dentil trim. Observers should note the difference in design of the first and second story windows, twenty-three of which have antique glass. Dr. John Hatch bought the house in 1979 and with painstaking care has removed and restored all of the interior trim, with the woodwork copied exactly and the original nail holes used for the baseboards. He has also stabilized and restored the exterior.