Kempf House
Kempf House
4
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This 1853 building was designed in a ancient Greek motif. It was once the home of local musicians Reuben H. and Pauline Widenmann Kempf. Today it's a local history museum.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
5 reviews
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0
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4
Average
1
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0
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wbullseye
Windermere, FL1,321 contributions
Dec 2013 • Solo
The Kempf house is a historically preserved site which was the former home of the Kempf family. They were musicians that taught piano/organ and voice to local citizens back in the late1800s and early 1900s. The house is within walking distance of the University of Michigan and is open for tours on Sundays from 1300-1600 and is free to the public. While it is not a place you would necessarily go out of your way to see it, it does offer a glimpse into a piece of history you wouldn't normally know about.
The home was decked out for Christmas and had decorations of the time spread out on both floors. A tour guide takes you through the house and gives a history of not just the house but of the past residents as well. The lady that took me around was very knowledgeable and made the visit well worth it. It is a fairly small house so it doesn't take too long to see it, making it a good option if you are in the area and looking for something to do. Inside the home are items that belonged to the Kempfs such as the piano used by Mr. Kempf, bed spreads and other odds and ends. The University of Michigan used to borrow the piano prior to purchasing their own.
The site is run by volunteers and is supported by the city. It is not part of the university even though it is literally on the campus today. If you are looking for a piece of local history, I would recommend visiting the Kempf House. As it is an old house, it is not handicap assessable.
The home was decked out for Christmas and had decorations of the time spread out on both floors. A tour guide takes you through the house and gives a history of not just the house but of the past residents as well. The lady that took me around was very knowledgeable and made the visit well worth it. It is a fairly small house so it doesn't take too long to see it, making it a good option if you are in the area and looking for something to do. Inside the home are items that belonged to the Kempfs such as the piano used by Mr. Kempf, bed spreads and other odds and ends. The University of Michigan used to borrow the piano prior to purchasing their own.
The site is run by volunteers and is supported by the city. It is not part of the university even though it is literally on the campus today. If you are looking for a piece of local history, I would recommend visiting the Kempf House. As it is an old house, it is not handicap assessable.
Written December 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KK
Petoskey, MI91 contributions
Dec 2016
House is located on busy division street between a parking lot and a park occupied by vagrants. It's hard to imagine that the area was one full of charming homes like this. Volunteers are very knowledgeable, but it's only open Sunday 1-4pm. On Wednesdays they often have lectures from 12-1pm (check the web site)
Nice way to spend an hour on a Sunday aft
Nice way to spend an hour on a Sunday aft
Written May 24, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ramiroquai_13
Santa Tecla, El Salvador3 contributions
Dec 2012
A piece of history about an old traditional German family living in Ann Arbor!, special at the month of December, you can see some activities, like live music with a beautiful piano, tour in the house with some memories, and everybody is friendly!
Written March 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Davidamy617
Novi, MI669 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
The house has a nice history of a talented musical family. The city was wise to purchase it. The volunteer staff is lovely, so friendly and so very kind. We throughly enjoyed our Victorian Valentine tea. The tour following was very nice. They have a lot of original pieces to share. The do offer some interesting talks, too. Check out their calendar!
Written February 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steph
Illinois37 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
Outdoor concert in the park. Cute little historical house situated next to the park. Happy to see a piece of history so well preseved
Written July 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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