Nathan B. Devereaux Octagon House - Northfield Township, MI - Octagon Buildings on Waymarking.com

Nathan Devereaux built this house in 1864, mostly by himself adapting a design from Orson Squire Fowler's book A Home for All; or the Gravel Wall and Octagon Mode of Building. New, Cheap, Convenient, Superior and Adapted to Rich and Poor.

The description from Wikipedia: The Devereaux house is a 1+1/2-story, octagonal frame structure with a hipped roof surmounted with an octagonal cupola. The house sits on a fieldstone foundation, and is symmetrically shaped with eight equal sides. A small utility room is attached to the rear of the structure. The house is clad with white asbestos siding and asphalt shingles on the roof, and there is little ornamentation. The basement level is of post-and-beam construction, while the upper sections of the house is of balloon-frame construction.

The front door is slightly askew from the road, through a side of the octagon sited diagonally. The entry is Greek Revival in style with paired thin pilasters on either side of the door, and flanking sidelights above simple paneled aprons. A broad frieze and projecting classical cornice are above the door. The adjacent octagon sides are arranged symmetrically around the entry side, with two tall windows on the lower level and much smaller upper story windows.

Interior rooms are generally rectangular in shape, with triangular closet space. The first floor has a kitchen, bedroom, and parlor. Stairs to the second floor arise from the kitchen, and end in a central hall, through which three bedrooms can be accessed. A ladder goes up to the cupola.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 2, 2003.

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