The Dodge home at 432 S. Grand, note the Arbaugh Department Store’s water tower in the background. (FPLA/CADL)
The home at 432 (418) S. Grand was a marvelous structure. It was built between 1894-1896, probably in 1895. The first owner was Ezra B. Dodge, the brother of Frank L. Dodge. Ezra Bradstreet Dodge was born in Oberlin, Ohio of January 31, 1841 to Hervey and Angeline (née Stevens) Dodge. Ezra attended the local schools in Oberlin and lived for a period of time in Cleveland where he studied law. He moved to Eaton County, Michigan in 1866 where he completed his law studies under Judge M.V. Montgomery and managed a local hotel. Ezra moved to Lansing after completing his studies in 1882. The Dodge family were Democrats and with the election of Grover Cleveland, Ezra was appointed clerk of the Third Judicial District Court in the Territory of Arizona in 1885 where he served under Judge John Calhoun Shields. Ezra retuned to Lansing after his time in Arizona and practiced law and was involved in real estate. Before moving to Michigan, Ezra married Miss Laura Curtis in Cleveland, Ohio in 1860, the couple had three sons Joseph, Charles and Frederick. (SR4/18/1905 and LJ4/18/1905)
The home at 432 S. Grand after its renovation sometime in the late 1940s early 1950s. (FPLA/CADL)
This was a massive and impressive home. Just who the architect was is unknown. The home was in all likelihood built for Ezra Dodge after he retuned from Arizona. In the first image you can see the pyramidal tower that merges into the second-floor bay window. Note the flared siding and the pent roof over the first-floor windows on the south side, a method that was used to shed water away from the structure. The location of the entrance is a mystery, it seems to have been enclosed. The front porch with is roofline and pediments seem heavy and overwhelms the slight columns. The second-floor porch on the façade was soften by the delicate scrollwork along the top between the columns. As you can see in the above image the front of the structure has been stripped away. The tower and bay window have been removed as well as the small second floor porch and the main porch. The side entrance porch has been remodeled with the pediment removed. The home at this point in time has been subdivided into three apartments. The home was razed in 1954 to provide addition parking for the Arbaugh Department Store. (LSJ 4/29/1954)
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