Historic Homes
30 Day Project inspired by personal interests; desire to educate, learn, architecture, and history. Goal to showcase Historic Homes in Michigan, and provide a starting point for others to learn. Hoping to engage those who may have not been interested in architecture, or history through the unique medium, style, and historical facts. All watercolor illustrations are in a 3.5x5.5" book. No ruler was used to embrace the organic hand-drawn characteristics.
All posted to Instagram to grow an online presence and following.
Day 01 of 30 | February 6, 2022
The Davenport-Curtiss House, Saline Michigan, built 1875. William H. Davenport hired Detroit Architect, William Scott to build his new family home for roughly $8,500.
Day 02 of 30 | February 7, 2022
Point Betsie Lighthouse established 1858, cost approximately $5000 to construct. This lighthouse illuminates the southern entrance to the Manitou Passage along the northeastern shore of Lake Michigan.
Day 03 of 30 | February 8, 2022
The Honolulu House was built in 1860 for a former diplomat who tried to live here as he had in Honolulu. It was updated by another owner in the 1880s to a high Victorian style featuring marvelous ceiling and wall paintings. Rescued in the 1950s from possible demolition. Extensive restoration efforts then began which has brought back the 1880s elegance that visitors can enjoy today.
Day 04 of 30 | February 9, 2022
Hill Auditorium was designed by the renowned architect Albert Kahn in 1913. Boasting some of the world's best acoustics, Hill Auditorium has been a true cultural incubator for the arts. It is said that you can literally hear a pin drop on the stage from the farthest seat in the room.
Day 05 of 30 | February 10, 2022
Dorr E. Felt was the inventor of the Comptometer, an early computing device. The Felt Mansion began construction in 1925 and was completed in 1928. The Felt Estate remained in the family until 1949, after World War II when they decided to sell the Shore Acres Farm.
The Saint Augustine Seminary, a Catholic prep school for young men, purchased the mansion and grounds. The carriage house was used for classrooms, while the mansion was used for housing.
After several years of growth, the Seminary built a school on the ridge, west of the mansion, and a group of nuns lived in the mansion. In the late 1970s, the State of Michigan purchased the property to use as a prison.
A portion of the mansion was used during these years as offices for the State Police. The State owned the grounds until the early 1990s when Laketown Township purchased the land for one dollar, with the stipulation that the mansion is used for the public, not sold or used for private enterprise.
A tremendous amount of restoration has since been completed, and many projects are on the horizon!
Day 06 of 30 | February 11, 2022
Did you know that Ypsilanti has over 800 homes within the Historic District? The city was originally a trading post set up in 1809 under the name Godfroy's Trading Post, it was then called Woodruff’s Grove after Major Thomas Woodruff, and later called Waterville, before settling on Ypsilanti in 1829. The name was chosen to honor Demetrius Ypsilanti. Ypsilanti was a hero in the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire.
The Parish House Inn can be seen today at 103 S. Huron St. However, the old Queen Anne style house stood six blocks from the current location, when it served as the home for the ministers and their families of the First Congregational Church. It had been used as the Sunday School and office space throughout the 1950’s, but when the American Disabilities legislation passed in the 1980’s, the homes usefulness was over as it lacked accessibility.
In 1987 the property went up for sale, and plans were proposed to move the building and renovate it into a Bed & Breakfast. It officially opened in August of 1993, and was named the Parish House Inn to honor its past life.
Day 07 of 30 | February 12, 2022
The Burnham Historical Building was built in 1862 during the Civil War in the Italianate-style for local merchant George Bidwell, and is situated just outside of "Berry's Southern Addition," on a huge city lot facing Broad Street, and located within convenient walking distance of both Adrian's commercial downtown to the southwest, and of the city's largest factories to the northeast.
This building remained one of the city's grandest residences for almost a century. Bidwell sold it in 1877 for a whopping $18,000 to banker William H. Waldby. Many years later, Waldby resold the building to W. H. Burnham, who had become President of Adrian's largest industry at the time, Lamb Fence Company. But, with the dawn of the automobile era, most of Adrian's wealthy families preferred to live in sprawling, new homes in the suburbs, and in 1957 the home needed to be saved from possible demolition by being converted to the offices of the Adrian Public Schools, and it remains an office building to this day.
Thank you Peter Barr for all of the useful information on the Adrian Architecture website!
Day 08 of 30 | February 13, 2022
The Chelsea House Victorian Inn was built around 1878 for Michigan State Senator James Gorman, a politician, lawyer and cigar manufacturer who made a substantial fortune with his tobacco business, which was located in the commercial building right next to his home. He occupied the home for 30 years. Like many larger homes after the Depression and WWII, when housing was in short supply, it was split up and rented as apartments. It was converted from an apartment building in 1994 to its present use as a Bed & Breakfast.
Day 09 of 30 | February 14, 2022
In 1885, Robert Jeremiah Whaley and his family moved into their home at 624 E. Kearsley Street in Flint Michigan. Whaley hired Detroit architect George Watkins to design an extensive remodel of the house. The remodel transformed the home from the original 1859 Italianate style into the Victorian style. When the family moved into the new house, the family consisted of Robert, his wife Mary McFarlan Whaley, their adopted daughter Florence, and Robert's teenage half-sister Laura. The Whaleys joined several other prominent Flint families who lined Kearsley Street in ornate Victorian styled residences.
Robert Whaley gained fame in Flint as the Citizens Bank President who gave Billy Durant the $2000 loan that ultimately formulated General Motors. Visit the home and learn about the importance of this family in Flint and the city's importance in American history.
In 2015, the Whaley Historic House Museum experienced a devastating fire that led to our long-term closure. Fortunately, hard work and generous support from our volunteers, community partners, and local foundations enabled the museum to re-open in 2018 and continue to be enjoyed by the community.
Day 10 of 30 | February 15, 2022
The Dempsey Manor was built in 1894 by lumberman James Dempsey for $30,000. Born in Ireland in 1832, Dempsey immigrated to America with his parents in 1847. He arrived in Manistee years later where he quickly became associated with the logging industry. After working for the Canfield family river-driving logs, he entered into partnership with numerous area lumbermen.
Dempsey grew to become one of the most well-known lumbermen in Manistee and was very civic-minded. He served as mayor for one term and was appointed to postmaster in 1857 and 1886.
The home was later converted into an apartment house and served that purpose for several years before becoming a bed and breakfast. The current owners have continued to invest in the restoration of this amazing property, and earned to receive Tripadvisors Travelers' Choice Award in 2021.
Day 11 of 30 | February 16, 2022
The “Half House” was built by Earl Young in Charlevoix, Michigan in 1947. Young was a insurance and real estate agent by trade, and self-taught architect, taking on his first project in 1919. The “Half House” was originally built as a rental home. However, a couple years after completion Young’s daughter Louise was married and he gave her and her new husband the house as a wedding gift. The couple lived in the house for a short time, but with the arrival children they outgrew the space and it once again became a rental.
This unusual shape of the house has helped create the various nicknames given to Young’s structures; “mushroom houses,” “hobbit houses,” “gnome homes” and “Mother Goose houses.”
Composed of solid masonry, mainly granite boulders and local fieldstone found from the surrounding areas. It's said that Young would often find stones and stockpile them before even having a particular project in mind for them. It was built on the base of the former carriage house for the house next door. Even though Young owned the neighboring lot, the city would not permit him to build over the property line. He situated the house close to the property line and constructed the vertical stone wall and cement chimney we see today, essentially making the house appear to be half the size of a larger house.
Most Earl Young homes are privately owned and inaccessible to the public. As the “Half House” is listed on Vrbo, it is unsurprising, that reservations fill up quickly.
Day 12 of 30 | February 17, 2022
The Wing House was built in 1875 in Coldwater, Michigan for Jay M. Chandler, and his bride Francis Campbell. From 1847-1871 had stood the Parrish flouring mill. Jay, the fourth son of locally prominent Albert Chandler, followed his brothers into the family hardware business. Albert founded the Coldwater Sentinel and served as the city's first mayor. Jay Chandler sold his home to Lucius Wing in 1882.
Lucius M. Wing (1839-1921), Civil War captain, county sheriff and prominent businessman, purchased this residence in 1882. That same year he served a term as mayor. Making notable contributions to the industrial, financial and social life of the city, he was the longtime president of a local bank, a manufacturer of cigars and founder of the Bon Ami Social Club. The house remained in the family for three generations until acquired by the Branch County Historical Society in 1974 for use as a historical museum.
Day 13 of 30 | February 18, 2022
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse was built in 1851 as an octagonal brick tower with an attached dwelling. A fog signal building was added in 1895. It is still an active light and the keeper's dwelling is operated as a public museum. The Keweenaw County Historical Society operates a fascinating nautical and historical museum in the lighthouse and surrounding buildings. The Eagle Harbor Lighthouse is a Heritage Site of the Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Day 14 of 30 | February 19, 2022
The Chapin Mansion was built in 1882 by Henry and Ruby Chapin. In 1865, Henry Austin Chapin, a general store operator in Niles, invested in Upper Peninsula mineral lands on which an immense deposit of iron ore was discovered in 1878. The Chapin Mine at Iron Mountain paid royalties that Chapin used in constructing this house and in acquiring other real estate in Niles and Chicago. The Chapin Mansion was donated to the City of Niles in 1933 it served as City Hall and is now administered by the Niles History Center.
Day 15 of 30 | February 20, 2022
The Cappon House was built in 1874 in Holland, Michigan three years after a massive fire burned two thirds of the city. Several other fires blazed across the Midwest that same October night and is referred to as the “Night America Burned.” This was due to a wind cyclone and extremely dry conditions, meaning any little spark had the potential to cause ablaze. Isaac Cappon’s first home, church, and business burned down in the fire.
Isaac was born in 1830 in the Province of Zeeland. He then came to America in 1847 at age 17 with only a 4th grade education. He was one of many Dutch immigrants to travel to the United States during the mid-1800s. The Netherlands was facing a recession, religious persecution, and famine simultaneously which led thousands of people to leave the country in search of a better life.
The Holland Museum was gifted the Cappon House in the 1970s by the City of Holland after the passing of Lavina Cappon, one of Isaac Cappon’s 16 children. Lavina was a Home Economics teacher at Holland Public and lived in the house almost her whole life. She recognized the importance of it and decided that upon her death, she would sell the home to the city.
Day 16 of 30 | February 21, 2022
The Mann House was built in 1883, for the progressive Mann Family who moved to Concord, Michigan. Daniel and Ellen Mann valued education and encouraged their two daughters, Mary Ida and Jessie, to attend school and college at a time when only 10% of the American population had high school diplomas. The Mann sisters went on to break barriers in their careers, travel the world, and advocate for their community.
Today, the historic Mann House looks and feels as if Mary Ida and Jessie Ellen just stepped out for a moment to run an errand. All their donated belongings, and family heirlooms tell the stories of the independent, self-sufficient, forward-thinking women who lived in the home from 1883 to 1969.
Day 17 of 30 | February 22, 2022
The Friend-Hack House in Milan, Michigan has some of the most shocking reasons for construction. Olive Friend had purchased 40 acres from her Uncle Henry Hack and his wife, Mary, to use for the house and farm. Olive Friend and her young son, William, moved into the house she had just built in April 1883.
Olive was a recent widow, her late husband, Prof. Henry Friend, had died in New York. Henry was a major figure with the New York Electric Sugar Refining Company. After his death, the company kept his death a secret to prevent people from selling their stock. Olive and her family sold stock in the company in New York and in Europe.
Investors were not allowed to see the sugar being refined by the electric refining machine. The investors bought stock and purchased an old flour mill at 18 Hamilton St., in Brooklyn, for the much-anticipated sugar refinery. But none of the investors on Wall Street were allowed to see the actual machine; it was a “secret.”
There was no such machine. It was all a fraud.
In 1889, the Electric Sugar Refining Machine enterprise created a world-wide shock wave. Newspapers all over the US, Canada, and Europe reported on the sugar machine scandal.
Olive and her family were arrested by the Washtenaw Sheriff and put on a train to New York, where they spent about a year in jail. Olive’s step-father was tried and convicted of stock fraud. When he left Sing Sing prison, he returned to Milan and lived out his days near the Hack House. Olive lived in her home in Milan after her jail time, and remarried and sold the home to her Uncle Henry Hack.
Day 18 of 30 | February 23, 2022
The Curwood Castle stands on the banks of the Shiawassee River in Owosso, Michigan. Construction began in 1922 and finished in 1923. The castle served as the writing studio for James Oliver Curwood, one of America's foremost authors of adventure novels, and early advocate of environmental conservation.
Curwood dreamed of being an author from early childhood. In 1894 he published his first story "The Terror of Athabasca" in the local newspaper, the Owosso Evening Argus, known today as the Argus Press, one of the oldest surviving local newspapers in the country.
Curwood was expelled from school at sixteen years of age and embarked on a bicycle tour of many of the southern states. At seventeen he travelled in a carriage selling proprietary medicines for a pharmaceutical company. Curwood returned to Michigan in 1898 and passed the entrance exam for the University of Michigan English Department to study journalism.
In 1900, Curwood dropped out of the University of Michigan, sold his first story, and became a reporter for the Detroit News Tribune. He was hired by the Detroit News Tribune to cover funerals, but six months into his position he wrote a story about a "peeping Tom" and incorrectly reported the name of the accused and was fired. The Detroit News Tribune continued to purchase his freelance stories and rehired Curwood in 1902. He worked there making his way to the assistant editor position until 1907, when he left and moved back to Owosso to start writing novels full-time. The beautiful castle was used by Curwood until his death in 1927. It is suggested that his life was cut short by blood poisoning possibly caused by a spider bite.
Day 19 of 30 | February 24, 2022
The Hume House was constructed for Thomas Hume, one of Muskegon's leading lumber barons. The Hackley & Hume Homes were simultaneously built in 1887-88, using the same architect and carpenters.
Lumbering was the most important industry in Northern Michigan. Muskegon, was the terminus of vast lumber drives in the 1880s and led the west coast of Michigan in the production of lumber.
Hume came to Muskegon from Ireland in 1870, and began his association with Charles Hackley in 1872 when he became bookkeeper at Hackley's firm. Several years later, Hackley & Hume became business partners and began buying timber lands in other states.
The home is filled with spacious living areas and nine bedrooms decorated with simple patterns, the house was designed for comfort and a large family. The family expanded the house creating a beautiful library, a large dining room with geometric tile flooring, and a sleeping porch off a second floor bedroom with a terne metal floor. The exterior of the Hume House exhibits its original 14-tone restored color scheme.
Day 20 of 30 | February 25, 2022
The Hackley House was built for Charles H. Hackley, Muskegon's millionaire lumber baron and business leader during the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Lumbering was the most important industry in Northern Michigan. Muskegon was the terminus of vast lumber drives in the 1880s and led the west coast of Michigan in the production of lumber. The Hackley & Hume Homes were simultaneously built in 1887-88, using the same architect and carpenters.
Structurally restored to its 1890s appearance, the Hackley House is a unique example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture and late nineteenth-century interior decorative arts.
After Hackley's death in 1905, the house remained in the family until 1943 when it was given to the Red Cross. The home had been deeded to the Red Cross by heirs of the Hackley estate with the understanding that it would never be sold or given over to anyone who might raze or fail to preserve it.
Nationally known artisans from Chicago and New York used original samples uncovered during restoration to bring the elaborate interior stenciling and the 13-color exterior paint scheme back to life.
Day 21 of 30 | February 26, 2022
The Hoatson Mansion, or Laurium Mansion was built by Copper Baron Thomas Hoatson Jr., for his wife Cornelia Hoatson in 1908. As owner of Calumet & Arizona Mining Co., no expense was spared building this forty-five-room mansion. At a time when miners were making 25 cents per hour, this house was built at a cost of $50,000, with $35,000 of furnishings added.
Thomas Hoatson died in 1929, and Cornelia Hoatson in 1948. The home then was sold to Maynard & Jane Hurlbert in 1949 and remained in their ownership until 1979. For nine years the mansion stood vacant, was bought and sold by antique dealers and other parties but it was not uninhabitable due to burst pipes and broken furnace, missing light fixtures and missing windows.
Julie & Dave Sprenger are 1983 graduates of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. They started their engineering careers in San Jose California. In addition to their day jobs in California, Julie & Dave started purchasing and renovating properties, and fell in love with it. They were drawn back to Michigan, to a home they had seen while studying at M-Tech. In 1989 Julie & Dave Sprenger purchased the vacant mansion, and began the repairs needed to open it as the Laurium Manor Inn. Since then they have continued to restore the mansion back into the spectacular home it was in 1908 when the Hoatson’s moved in.
Day 22 of 30 | February 27, 2022
Trombley House in Bay City, was constructed for Bay City’s first settlers, brothers Joseph and Mader Trombley. They were drawn to the area around the Saginaw River to make their fortunes trading with Native Civilizations. Sometime between 1837 and 1839, they built a two-and-a-half story Greek Revival structure, which is thought to be the first frame house erected in Bay County. The Trombley House was relocated to its present site in Veterans Memorial Park in 1981 and is available for touring. The Olde Thyme Herb Society maintains an historic herb garden there and hosts special events throughout the year.
Day 23 of 30 | February 28, 2022
Kimball House in Battle Creek, for Dr. Arthur Herbert Kimball, a physician in 1886. It was occupied by three generations of Kimball physicians. The descendants donated their family home to the city, to be used as a community museum.
In November 1966, the Junior League of Battle Creek accepted title to the Kimball House "on behalf of the community." They spent the next two years and approximately $17,000 transforming the family home into a community museum and historic home exhibit. Fortunately, in the 80 years since its construction, there had been very few structural changes to the fabric of the building. The woodwork was intact and unpainted, most of the original lighting fixtures remained, and the room arrangement had not been altered. However the mechanical systems of the house had to be updated.
The Kimball House Museum was officially opened to the public in June 1969. Although the Junior League retained ownership until 1974, the daily operations were turned over to the Kimball House Historical Society, later named the Historical Society of Battle Creek in 1974. The Kimball House today is furnished to interpret upper middle class lifestyle in the late Victorian period in the American Midwest, from 1886 to the beginning of the first World War. In addition to offering a glimpse into daily family life during the Victorian era, the Kimball House museum houses a major collection of artifacts and archival material relating to Sojourner Truth, who lived in Battle Creek from 1857 until her death in 1883.
Day 24 of 30 | March 1, 2022
The Grosvenor House, or The Gamble House was built as a private home for Ebenezer Oliver Grosvenor in Jonesville. Grosvenor acted as Michigan state senator, treasurer, lieutenant governor, University of Michigan regent, and was involved with the building of the state capitol building.
Completed in 1874 from plans by Elijah E. Myers at a cost of $37,000, the E.O. Grosvenor House is significant as an outstanding architectural example of High Victorian Italianate architecture and for its association with a prominent local figure. This spectacular thirty-two room Victorian Italianate home can be visited today as it operates as a Museum!
In 1960 the Gamble family purchased the residence and subsequently sold it to the Jonesville Heritage Association approximately 1976. The beautifully crafted Victorian elements on the interior are in good condition and the building is used as a residence. The carriage house is used as a garage.
Day 25 of 30 | March 2, 2022
Upton Hose in Sterling Heights.
Built in 1866-1867 by William and Sarah Aldrich Upton, the Upton House Museum is one of a few surviving 19th century homes in Sterling Heights. It was the home of this prosperous farmer and merchant until 1891.
The exterior brick was originally a natural red color. Sometime during the 1940's or 1950's it was painted white which proved to be hard to remove without damaging the surface. The solution devised by the preservation architect was to re-paint with a color popular in the1870's, shortly after the house was built. A muted shade of brown was chosen, with darker brown trim and deep red accents. Not long ago the house was again repainted, this time using an ivory color with apple green trim chosen by the City.
The Upton farm of 136 acres is now the site of City Hall, the Justice and Library buildings, the Community Center and Stevenson High School. Outbuildings once included barns for horses and cattle; a windmill which provided water for the house and barns; a solid brick outhouse. The orchard was across Utica Road where the park parking lot is now.
Day 26 of 30 | March 3, 2022
The John C. Blanchard House, home of the Ionia County Historical Society and Ionia County Museum, is a fine example of 1880's Italianate architecture. This beautiful mansion is situated on a full acre lot in the heart of Ionia's Historic District. John C. Blanchard was an early resident of Ionia, a prosperous capitalist, lawyer and politician. The house exterior is Ionia variegated sandstone quarried locally. The Blanchards christened the house “La Palistina” – the “little palace.”
Born in 1822 in New York state, Blanchard left school at fourteen, and worked in a mill long enough to buy passage to the West. A month's work on a farm at Detroit brought sufficient funds to move on, seasonal work being secured on the way to Shiawassee County, where from the fall of 1836 to the spring of 1837 Blanchard lived with a Native family and saved his migrant worker's wages. One son of the Native family was called Pewamo, and for him Blanchard later named the still extant village in Ionia County. Perceiving the value of land at a time of pioneer influx, Blanchard started on foot for the new land office at Ionia, sixty miles away, where he invested almost the whole of his savings in forty acres. Returning through unsettled tracts to Shiawassee County, Blanchard remained there one additional year before accepting work at Lyons in Ionia County, first as a farm laborer and then as a retail clerk.
By 1891 Blanchard's land holdings spanned some twenty-four hundred acres. At the time of his death on March 12, 1905, he was admired as a local philanthropist and had served as a trustee of Albion College.
Day 27 of 30 | March 4, 2022
The W.K. Kellogg Manor is located on the highest point overlooking Gull Lake in Hickory Corners, built 1925-1926.
W.K. Kellogg Manor House is the former estate of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg and his wife, Dr. Carrie Staines Kellogg. Restored to its original grandeur in 2000. The grounds include a carriage house with chauffeur’s residence, greenhouse with potting shed, caretaker’s cottage, boathouse, an authentic Dutch windmill, and a lakeside pagoda.
W.K. and Dr. Carrie moved into the Manor House in 1926 and immediately deeded the property to the city of Battle Creek, with the intention that the estate become a place “where all of Battle Creek may forever play.”
In 1927, W.K. established the Bird Sanctuary as a refuge for the Canada Goose, then an endangered species, and other migratory birds. W.K. created the Kellogg Farm in the same year in an endeavor to research sustainable farming practices. In 1928, he deeded both the sanctuary and the farm to Michigan State College, now Michigan State University.
In 1930, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation was created, used to invest money “in the people” in order to improve the health, happiness, and well-being of mankind, especially children. That same year he arranged for the city of Battle Creek to deed Eagle Heights to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation so it could be used as a summer camp for children. In 1932, the Kellogg Forest was established on abandoned farmland, providing a space for experimental research on trees. Though the Great Depression was raging during this time, the Kellogg Company was not as afflicted with financial loss as other companies. There were some setbacks, but the Kellogg Company persevered.
Day 28 of 30 | March 5, 2022
The W.K. Kellogg Manor is located on the highest point overlooking Gull Lake in Hickory Corners, built 1925-1926.
W.K. Kellogg Manor House is the former estate of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg and his wife, Dr. Carrie Staines Kellogg. Restored to its original grandeur in 2000. The grounds include a carriage house with chauffeur’s residence, greenhouse with potting shed, caretaker’s cottage, boathouse, an authentic Dutch windmill, and a lakeside pagoda.
W.K. and Dr. Carrie moved into the Manor House in 1926 and immediately deeded the property to the city of Battle Creek, with the intention that the estate become a place “where all of Battle Creek may forever play.”
In 1927, W.K. established the Bird Sanctuary as a refuge for the Canada Goose, then an endangered species, and other migratory birds. W.K. created the Kellogg Farm in the same year in an endeavor to research sustainable farming practices. In 1928, he deeded both the sanctuary and the farm to Michigan State College, now Michigan State University.
In 1930, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation was created, used to invest money “in the people” in order to improve the health, happiness, and well-being of mankind, especially children. That same year he arranged for the city of Battle Creek to deed Eagle Heights to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation so it could be used as a summer camp for children. In 1932, the Kellogg Forest was established on abandoned farmland, providing a space for experimental research on trees. Though the Great Depression was raging during this time, the Kellogg Company was not as afflicted with financial loss as other companies. There were some setbacks, but the Kellogg Company persevered.
Day 29 of 30 | March 6, 2022
Cartier Mansion in Ludington was constructed for Warren & Kate Cartier. Construction began November of 1903, and finished May 1905, 18-months later. Warren was the third of eight children, and attended Notre Dame University in Indiana for Civil Engineering. He played football at Notre Dame, and Cartier Field, which is their practice field today, was named after him after a nice donation to his alma mater. He went into business with his father and they both were much more than just lumber barons. They owned the first telephone company in town, banks, a car dealership, a department store, and a watch case manufacturing company. They both were mayors of Ludington with one being a republican and the other a democrat.
This Neoclassical home was considered a modern house and still is today. The outside brick on both the main house and the carriage house was imported from France into the harbor of Ludington.
The Schoenberger's purchased the home in 1950 from the Cartier's. Mr. Schoenberger was a butcher and owned a small grocery store in Scottville. Mrs. Schoenberger was a dancer and gave lessons in the loft of the carriage house for many years. They raised their three children in the home as well. We give credit to the Cartier's for building this beautiful mansion, but the Schoenberger's are the ones who preserved this mansion. Almost all interior seen is original-the floors, woodwork, and even some wall coverings.
Day 30 of 30 | March 7, 2022
The Col. Frank J. Hecker Mansion in Detroit is one of the few remaining elegant homes that once lined Woodward Avenue, and has stayed mostly unchanged for nearly 120 years as the city has roared around it.
Built for Col. Frank Joseph Hecker built between 1889 and 1892 and designed by architect Louis Kamper while he was with the firm Scott, Kamper and Scott.
The home cost $144,936.54 (~$3.5 million today, when adjusted for inflation) for the house, design fees, the carriage house, carpets and décor. Another $19,990.14 (~$480,000 today) was spent on furnishings.
President William McKinley selected Hecker to serve as transportation bureau chief during the Spanish-American War. Later, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him to the commission to build the Panama Canal. Hecker entertained President Rutherford B. Hayes at one of his famously lavish parties at his home on Woodward. Both Presidents McKinley and Hayes slept at the Hecker mansion in one of the elaborately detailed bedrooms on the second floor.
When Hecker passed in 1927, he left specific instructions about how to divide his fortune. Rembrandt’s “The Philosopher,” which hung in the home, and four other famous paintings were given to the Arts Commission. His widow received $200,000, the rest of his artwork and furnishings, and was allowed to remain in the mansion for one year after his death.
Wayne State University closed Sept. 24, 2014, on the purchase of the house for $2.3 million. The university said it would move its Alumni Relations Department to the building and use it for alumni events. The house was officially renamed the Tierney Alumni House.