Eye candy of the week

The State of Michigan historical marker for this structure suggests that it was “the work of an unsophisticated country builder.” This blunt opinion notwithstanding, the building demonstrates the skill of a carpenter who made the most of the limited supplies and tools available in 1887. While the chapel is decidedly simple in plan, this “Carpenter’s Gothic” building appropriately features decorative wood from top to bottom: roughly split shingles on the roof, ornamental scallops in the steeply pitched gables and vertical board and batten siding beneath.

Alexander Jackson Davis championed the Gothic Revival style in the United States, featuring it prominently in his 1837 book “Rural Residences.” His work was the first in a series of pattern books that were intended to guide untrained designers, possibly including the builder of this chapel. Lancet windows, which are the primary defining characteristic of Gothic architecture, are missing from this building. However, the builder has suggested this detail in trefoil arches applied to the rectangle windows and in triangle-shaped transoms, which may be easily fabricated without cutting glass into curved panes. Additionally, the street elevation features an oversized pointed arch, which supports the Christian cross and is in turn supported by carved wood brackets.

— Daniel E. Bollman, AIA

“Eye candy of the Week” is our weekly look at some of the nicer properties in Lansing. It rotates each with Eyesore of the Week. If you have a suggestion, please e-mail eye@lansingcitypulse.com or call Belinda Thurston at 999-5065.