Click above images to enlarge Bennett, Henry, House 312 South Division Street, south of E. Liberty Street, Ann Arbor - Washtenaw County Other Names Kempf, Reuben, House Property Type frame house Historic Use DOMESTIC Current Use RECREATION AND CULTURE Style Greek Revival Narrative Description The Henry Dewitt Bennett House (Reuben and Pauline Widenmann Kempf House) is a rectangular plan, one-and-one-half-story, front-gabled temple style Greek Revival frame house with a flat-roofed single-story rear extension. The building is covered in clapboard siding and rests on a brick foundation. The facade is fronted by a four-piered Doric portico that supports a frieze with dentil molding and iron anthrmion (honeysuckle) patterned grilles. The grilles are placed as metopes around the home and shield hidden second-floor windows. Statement of Significance The Bennett House is a graceful example of Greek Revival domestic architecture and is associated with two prominent local families. Built in approximately 1854 by Henry Bennett, secretary and steward of the University of Michigan from 1869 to 1883, the house was sold in 1890 to Reuben and Pauline Widenmann Kempf. The Kempfs, music directors and instructors, hosted a distinguished list of guests in the home including Paderewski, Victor Herbert, and Madame Schumann-Heink. The home was purchased in 1969 by the City of Ann Arbor and currently houses a museum. Marker Name Kempf House Marker Text KEMPF HOUSE Cast iron grilles in an ancient Greek floral motif highlight the frieze of this temple-front Greek Revival house. Built in 1853 for Henry D. Bennett, secretary and steward of the University of Michigan, it became the home and studio of local musicians Reuben H. and Pauline Widenmann Kempf in 1890. Trained in Germany, Mr. Kempf (1859-1945) taught piano and organ. Mrs. Kempf (1860-1953), a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory, taught voice. The city of Ann Arbor purchased the house in 1969, and in 1983 it became the Kempf House Center of Local History. Period of Significance 1826-1865 Significant Date(s) 1854, 1890 Registry Type(s) 06/21/1988 Marker erected 03/01/1973 National Register listed 05/17/1973 State Register listed Site ID# P24903