House of the Seven Gables

Location: 758 Pleasant Street, Saugatuck
Date: 1873

With seven gables decorated with wood verge boards, this “Gothic Revival” house was built for the pastor of the nearby All Saints Church. The design was taken from a very early plan book published by one of the best-known American architects of the time, Andrew Jackson Downing. Mr. Downing suggested that the house be built on “a sharp declivity, where a fine view, either upon a river or extended valley, is to be had.” The house, when built, overlooked the Kalamazoo River from the Pleasant Street hill.