Horace Haines House: 1003 West Main

Queen Anne-style home (1887-1974)

This stately Queen Anne-style home stood at the southwest corner of West Main Street and Catherine (1003 West Main Street) on what is now Kalamazoo College property (note the Severn Residence Hall in the background). The home was razed in April 1974 to make way for Kalamazoo College parking.

“The turrets and gables, in a mixture of medieval and Renaissance forms, are similar to those found on houses in the Stuart and Woodward area – then Kalamazoo’s most fashionable suburb.”

—Kalamazoo Gazette, 2 April 1974

The house was built in 1887 by Oscar T. Tuthill, a well-known Kalamazoo lawyer. Horace Haines, founder of the Kalamazoo Railroad Velocipede and Car Company (Kalamazoo Railway Supply) acquired the home in 1891. His wife, Mary French Haines, was the daughter of Professor Henry French, superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools c.1880-1892. Horace Haines died in 1918, Mary passed away in 1962. The Haines family retained ownership of the home until 1973 when the property was acquired by Kalamazoo College. Plans were considered to restore the structure, but the project proved too costly.

This photo is one of six undated snapshots by an unidentified photographer, likely taken shortly before the home was demolished. Kalamazoo Public Library photo file P-984 (a-f), prints acquired by the library in May 1974.

Written by Keith Howard, Kalamazoo Public Library staff, March 2023