About the House
The Quincy Agent’s House is the last standing mining company agent’s house among the many mines that once exploited the area for copper. After nearly 50 years of ownership by the Anderson family, David Bossert and Zachary Nick purchased the house in May 2021 with a long-term vision to restore, rehabilitate and revitalize the house back to its Victorian era splendor. The house is listed on the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites and lies within the Keweenaw National Historical Park. Copper Country Preservation, Inc., http://coppercountrypreservation.org/, accepts donations earmarked for the Quincy Agent’s House which have been used as matching funds for a 2016 Home Inspection, a Report on the Property’s History and Current Condition by Sarah Fayen Scarlett, PhD Assistant Professor of History, Michigan Technological University and consultation by Gianfranco Archimedes, Director, Historic Preservation for Paterson, NJ.
The 3.5 acre property includes its original buildings, a Victorian house, two-story barn with horse stalls, and two-car stucco garage. Many historic features are in surprisingly good condition. A significant large outcropping of rock with glacial tracks shows the geological heritage of the unique Keweenaw Peninsula formation. In springtime, the hillside blooms with lupines, poppies, phlox and lilacs against a backdrop of lawn, woods at a higher elevation. Amid old gardens and ancient oaks, a Victorian greenhouse foundation exists. The setting is beautiful in all seasons, perched on Quincy Hill overlooking the Keweenaw Waterway/Portage Lake and across to Houghton.
The architecture is Victorian Italianate. "The Quincy Agent’s House façade is dominated by a three-story square tower very much in the Italianate style, but its centered
placement is less typical. Italianate architecture more often embraced the visual variety of asymmetry. Approximately 15 percent of Italianate residences include the iconic square tower" (Scarlett, 2017) . A porch spans the front of the house facing the waterway. An enclosed side porch and widow’s watch offers additional views of the valley. The 19-room 10,000 sq. ft. interior (not including attic and dungeon) has high ceilings, original white pine wood trim, wainscoting and plank floors. Double entry doors on the first floor lead to a central foyer with staircase, pocket doors to a parlor and music room with fireplaces, a library, an office/room with dressing room and bath with original claw-foot tub, marble sink and faucets, dining room, butler’s pantry, large kitchen “updated” in 1920s or 30s, double pantry/larders, summer kitchen and storage room at rear, trompe l'oeil painting in side entry hall, dumb waiter, servant’s staircase to 2nd, 3rd floors and sub-ground floor. The second floor features six bedrooms each with original marble sinks, 5 with original walk-in closets, a sitting room under widow’s watch, one bath and kitchen, two-room maids’ quarters with original claw-foot tub. The dungeon, a labyrinth of connecting rooms from a passage with a mysterious door, was perhaps used as a jail or asylum, as well as cold storage. The laundry room showcases original Victorian double soapstone and iron sinks. A back staircase from the dungeon leads to the side yard and summer kitchen. The attic was recently insulated and mostly finished with local cedar paneling, yet the steep roof line leaves ample room as this space was likely used as a meeting hall and for dances during the Copper Boom. An original paint and shuttered widow’s walk or watch is up several stairs from the attic offers a magnificent view from three sides. The attic above the attic is a perfect hiding place. This house was once heated by steam via underground tunnels from the Quincy Mine hoist. The original infrastructure and unusual radiators still exist, though the house is heated by two energy efficient boilers. The electrical is updated; the plumbing is an ongoing project but the house is comfortable and livable with two hot water heaters. The wallpaper was updated in some bedrooms in keeping with the period although the interior cosmetic appearance needs work where old wallpaper remains.
The 3.5 acre property includes its original buildings, a Victorian house, two-story barn with horse stalls, and two-car stucco garage. Many historic features are in surprisingly good condition. A significant large outcropping of rock with glacial tracks shows the geological heritage of the unique Keweenaw Peninsula formation. In springtime, the hillside blooms with lupines, poppies, phlox and lilacs against a backdrop of lawn, woods at a higher elevation. Amid old gardens and ancient oaks, a Victorian greenhouse foundation exists. The setting is beautiful in all seasons, perched on Quincy Hill overlooking the Keweenaw Waterway/Portage Lake and across to Houghton.
The architecture is Victorian Italianate. "The Quincy Agent’s House façade is dominated by a three-story square tower very much in the Italianate style, but its centered
placement is less typical. Italianate architecture more often embraced the visual variety of asymmetry. Approximately 15 percent of Italianate residences include the iconic square tower" (Scarlett, 2017) . A porch spans the front of the house facing the waterway. An enclosed side porch and widow’s watch offers additional views of the valley. The 19-room 10,000 sq. ft. interior (not including attic and dungeon) has high ceilings, original white pine wood trim, wainscoting and plank floors. Double entry doors on the first floor lead to a central foyer with staircase, pocket doors to a parlor and music room with fireplaces, a library, an office/room with dressing room and bath with original claw-foot tub, marble sink and faucets, dining room, butler’s pantry, large kitchen “updated” in 1920s or 30s, double pantry/larders, summer kitchen and storage room at rear, trompe l'oeil painting in side entry hall, dumb waiter, servant’s staircase to 2nd, 3rd floors and sub-ground floor. The second floor features six bedrooms each with original marble sinks, 5 with original walk-in closets, a sitting room under widow’s watch, one bath and kitchen, two-room maids’ quarters with original claw-foot tub. The dungeon, a labyrinth of connecting rooms from a passage with a mysterious door, was perhaps used as a jail or asylum, as well as cold storage. The laundry room showcases original Victorian double soapstone and iron sinks. A back staircase from the dungeon leads to the side yard and summer kitchen. The attic was recently insulated and mostly finished with local cedar paneling, yet the steep roof line leaves ample room as this space was likely used as a meeting hall and for dances during the Copper Boom. An original paint and shuttered widow’s walk or watch is up several stairs from the attic offers a magnificent view from three sides. The attic above the attic is a perfect hiding place. This house was once heated by steam via underground tunnels from the Quincy Mine hoist. The original infrastructure and unusual radiators still exist, though the house is heated by two energy efficient boilers. The electrical is updated; the plumbing is an ongoing project but the house is comfortable and livable with two hot water heaters. The wallpaper was updated in some bedrooms in keeping with the period although the interior cosmetic appearance needs work where old wallpaper remains.
Quincy Agent’s House floorplan, drawn 2017 by James Benton Radson.