Babcock–Sanford House, 437 Abbot Rd. (1907)

Babcock–Sanford House, November 2003. Photo Credit: Kevin S. Forsyth.

Warren Babcock Jr (1866–1913, M.A.C. ’90, Sc.D. ’13) began his tenure as Instructor in Mathematics in 1891, rising to Professor in 1909 when the department separated from Civil Engineering (H. K. Vedder would head the latter). From 1908 to 1909 he also served as East Lansing’s second mayor, but declined re-election. Having suffered for some time with ill health, Babcock died on June 3, 1913, just days prior to the commencement ceremony that would have conferred upon him Doctor of Science.[Minutes, 7 May 1913, p. 131; 7 Jul 1909, p. 23; 8 Mar 1911, p. 70. Beal, p. 460. 52nd AR, pp. 7, 32]

The house was then owned by Frank and Cara Sanford, who raised their five children here. Frank Hobart Sanford (1880–1938, M.A.C. ’04, M.S. ’13) studied under Professor Ernest E. Bogue and was one of the first two people to graduate from the newly created Department of Forestry. He started at the College as an Instructor in 1906, and was Associate Professor of Forestry 1909–1921. He is credited with establishing the Sand Hill Plantation on campus, and is the namesake of the Sanford Natural Area.[Lansing City Directory (1916), p. 560. U.S. Census (1930)]

In 1941, Professor Sanford’s widow Cara Farmer Sanford (1882–1953, M.A.C. w/’06) rented the property to the College, which operated it as one of several off-campus women’s cooperative houses. “Sanford House” was one of the last remaining co-ops when the school closed them in 1956, to be supplanted by the apartment-style Van Hoosen Hall.[Minutes, 26 Jun 1941, p. 1731; 19 Jun 1953, p. 3214]

For several years after that, it was the home of the Asher Student Foundation for Women. From 1969 to about 1979 the Babcock–Sanford house was rented to the MSU Student Housing Cooperative which populated a series of co-ops there, including Eleutheria which was forced out of the former Hagadorn house by a devastating fire in 1972. In recent years it has been home to several fraternities and sororities.

Sanford House, in use as Asher House for Women, circa 1961. Photo Credit: Wolverine 1961, p. 358.