Blumenberg-Wilson House

All during 1904, carpenters worked in what had been Frank Little's side yard for half a century. Little had passed away the previous fall and his widow, Cornelia, now occupied the house with her daughter, Francis. As the new structure took shape next door it brought a flavor of the fashionable new "Tudor" style to South Street, with stucco surfaces and "half-timber" accents-a simple, yet stately home for one of Kalamazoo's successful young merchants. 

Abraham Blumenberg was born in New York City of German immigrant parents in 1866. He came with his parents to Kalamazoo in 1890 and soon went to work for B. Desenberg & Company in Kalamazoo. In 1894, he married Johanna Solomon, moved to a rooming house on Portage run by an aging, German-speaking widow, Ericka Cohn. In that same year he opened a home furnishing store which he called the People's Outfitting Company. Ten years later, still proprietor of People's Outfitting, but now also President of the Central Bank (Inc. 1905; Cap. $100,000), the second largest banking firm in the city; he was ready to move to the new home on South Street. 

Blumenberg passed away about 1915 and his widow divided her time between Chicago and Kalamazoo during the war years. The city directory for 1921 listed new occupants--James I. Handley and his family. Handley was then President of the new Handley-Knight Company, one of Kalamazoo's pioneer automakers. From 1921 through 1923, Handley produced the "Handley-Knight" and the "Handley" motorcars, but, by 1924, the company had disappeared. In 1926, the city directory listed the house as vacant. It then passed about 1928 to J. Cameron Wilson, Secretary of the Clark Memorial Masonic Association and later manager of the Masonic Temple in Kalamazoo. The Wilsons would occupy it until 1961. In 1962, the directory began to list the current residents, the Charles Suck family. 

Kalamazoo County Tax Rolls:

Kalamazoo City Directory:

1905  Vacant; Abraham Blumenberg (Johanna) Pres. Central Bank
          Inc. Apr. 9,1903) Capital $100,000; also Propr. of People's
          Outfitting Co.

1906  Abraham Blumenberg (Johanna) 617 W. South; Propr.
          People's Outfitting Co.

1907--1915  same

1916  Johanna Blumenberg (Widow Abraham)

1917 same but forwarding address Grand Hotel, Chicago

1919  same and add forwarding address Burdick Hotel, and
          Cooper-Carleton Hotel

1921 James T. Handley (Harriet V.) 617 W. South; Pres. Handley-          Knight Company, 1850 N. Pitcher, auto manuf.

1922  same

1924  same, but no job listed, no Handley-Knight Comp.

1926-27  vacant

1929  J. Cameron Wilson (Maude) 617 W. South; Sec'y Clerk
          Memorial Masonic Ass'n.

1937 same but now add Mgr. Masonic Temple

1939  same

1945  same, but no job listed

1953-54 same

1955 no return

1957-1961 Anne Wilson

1962-1971 Charles Suck (Anna M) in 1964 Mgr. West South Apt's.

State Census Rolls:

1894 336 Portage, Ericka Cohn, head, widow, b. Germany; speaks no Engl., in Michigan 45 yrs.; Harriet Levi, 28, niece, b. Ger., speaks no Eng; Adolf Stern, 19, boarder, b. Germany; A. L. Blumenberg, 27, head, furniture store, 16 years in Michigan, b. NY; Johanna, 24, wife (married between June 1, 1893 and June 1, 1894) 22 years in Michigan; b. Germany

1893  Blumenberg had lived with Meyer Blumenberg, 52, widower, cigar maker, at 156 John