The Frank A. and Rae E. Harris Kramer House is a private house located at 221 North Center Avenue in Gaylord, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1993[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[1]
History
Frank Kramer was a Russian Jewish immigrant who settled in Gaylord[3] and began a clothing and dry goods business known as "Kramer’s Busy Big Store."[4] He and his wife Rae were prominent local citizens in Gaylord.[2] Frank Kramer was a school board member, was active in fraternal organizations, and was one of the organizers of the Gaylord State Savings Bank in 1893. Rae Harris Kramer was a member of the Red Cross and the Otsego County Board, among other organizations.[2] In 1896, the couple built this house for their own use.[3]
Frank Kramer died in 1928 at the age of 72, and Rae Kramer died in 1960 at the age of 92.[2] The house was completely restored by the current owners.[5]
Description
The Frank and Rae Kramer House is a 5-bedroom,[3]2+1⁄2-story wood frame Queen Anne structure on a concrete foundation. It is covered with clapboard to the second-story line, above which it is clad with a variety of decorative shingling. It has a steeply pitched cross-gable roof, and multiple decorative bracketry. A wide porch wraps around two facades.[2]
