The house, built in 1872 for merchant Jeremiah Cronin. Jr., and his wife Susan, would again build the foundation for Bellairs' first Lewis Barnavelt novel a century later, 1973's The House with a Clock in its Walls, and has become a character itself in that series of adventures. Through the magic of Bellairs' imagination, the house now has an enchanted stained glass window, secret passages, coat racks mirrors that show life on other planets, and something called the Fuse Box Dwarf, a magical creature that says "dweeb dweeb" and lives in the basement. Fans from far and wide have come to Marshall since the book's release to discover the now-famous house first-hand, as well as the many other locales Bellairs used in his writings, such as the G.A.R. Hall and Brooks Fountain.

"It's set up on a hill with lots of old elm trees around it, sweeping drive, and a few oval windows that look like eyes peering out," says former Marshall resident Bryndis Rubin. She notes that many people who grew up in the area during the 1970s associate the house with Bellairs and his books. "It's on such a large piece of property that it looks like a Disney Haunted Mansion. And who doesn't like a haunted house?"

Located at 407 North Madison, sisters Elizabeth and Virginia Cronin (d. 2002) lived in the house for many years, eventually becoming more reclusive as they got older, which in turn probably added to the house's mystique. Following the death of Virginia Cronin the house was put up for sale and many items belonging to the Cronin family were put up for auction. The house eventually was sold to another family - only the second family to own the house in over 125 years.

In September 1992 the house was named a Michigan Historical Landmark with a double-sided plaque: one side for the house itself, the other side for John Bellairs. The plaque reads:

This house was built in 1872 for Jeremiah and Susan Cronin. One hundred years later it provided the setting for The House with a Clock in Its Walls, a teenage mystery novel written by Marshall native John Bellairs. Bellairs (1938-1991) was born in Marshall and graduated from Marshall High School. After earning degrees from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, he taught writing at several colleges and authored eighteen books, mostly for children. From 1973 to 1976 he wrote three books with Marshall settings. When explaining why he wrote for children, Bellairs noted: "In my imagination I repeatedly walk up and down the streets of the beatiful Michigan town where I grew up. It is full of Victorian mansions and history, and it would work on the creative mind of any kid."

From what we can tell, Bellairs never actually stepped inside the Cronin House prior to writing the book but, as Edward Recchia notes in his 1987 article, "frequently Bellairs would stay with his aunt and uncle at a home on Madison, just opposite the Cronin House." We wonder had he physically explored something that loomed so large in his imagination if it would have had a demystifying effect on him? Would he have written his masterpiece then?

Thirty years later both the house and the book still seem to be going strong.