East Ferry Avenue Historic District

Last updated
East Ferry Avenue Historic District
East Ferry Avenue Historic District 1 - Detroit Michigan.jpg
East Ferry streetscape
Location Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Coordinates 42°21′42″N83°3′56″W / 42.36167°N 83.06556°W / 42.36167; -83.06556 Coordinates: 42°21′42″N83°3′56″W / 42.36167°N 83.06556°W / 42.36167; -83.06556
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural style Châteauesque, Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival, Shingle
NRHP reference No. 80001921 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 10, 1980
Designated MSHSDecember 14, 1976 [2]

The East Ferry Avenue Historic District is a historic residential district in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. The nationally designated historic district stretches two blocks from Woodward Avenue east to Brush Street; the locally designated historic district includes a third block between Brush and Beaubien. The district includes the separately designated Col. Frank J. Hecker House and the Charles Lang Freer House. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1976 [2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1]

Contents

History

In 1856, the Ferry Seed Company was founded in Detroit; the company established a large farm at the corner of East Ferry and Woodward to grow the seeds that were sold nationwide. [3] [note 1] In the mid-1880s, then-owner D. M. Ferry platted the farm into residential lots along East Ferry Avenue. [4] At the time Woodward was an upscale residential street, so lots facing Woodward were quite expensive (as is the Col. Frank J. Hecker House, on Woodward and Ferry). Lots on the side streets were less expensive, and East Ferry was quickly settled by prosperous middle and upper middle class Detroit residents. [4] Prominent early residents of the district include Col. Frank J. Hecker, colonel in the Union Army and founder of the Peninsular Car Company; Charles Lang Freer, Hecker's partner and noted art collector; William A. Pungs, founder of the Anderson Carriage Company; Herman Roehm, co-owner of Roehm and Weston hardware store; John Scott, a prominent architect; and Samuel A. Sloman, of M. Sloman & Co. furrier. [5]

Woodward Avenue since redeveloped into primarily commercial property, but a group of mansions and upscale housing on East Ferry survives. [4] Around World War I, a number of professionals and business people found they could purchase homes on East Ferry. [3] The Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the Lewis College of Business still remain on East Ferry. [3] After World War II, the Merrill Palmer Institute (housed in the Charles Lang Freer House) purchased several homes along East Ferry, hoping to expand their operations. [3] However, Merrill Palmer was unable to expand and in the late 1960s sold the homes to the Detroit Institute of Arts for their proposed expansion. [3] The DIA eventually realized the property on East Ferry would not be useful to them, and re-sold them in the mid-1990s. [3]

Four of these homes were turned into The Inn on Ferry Street, a successful bed and breakfast, others are now residential. [3] Recently, new homes have been constructed in the neighborhood, architecturally congruent with the designs of the 19th century homes already there. [3]

Architecture

Houses on East Ferry are built close together on small lots, set back from the street. Many of the matching carriage houses still exist. [4] In general, the neighborhood consists primarily of Queen Anne homes, built of brick and sandstone, with bay windows or turrets and wide front porches. [4] There are some Romanesque Revival, and Colonial Revival designs. [2] Homes on East Ferry are some of the best current examples of residential commissions from Detroit's leading 19th century architects, including John Scott, Louis Kamper, Malcomson and Higginbotham, Rogers and McFarlane, Mortimer Smith, Donaldson and Meier, Joseph E. Mills, A. E. Harley, and Smith, Hinchman & Grylls. [5]

See also

Notes

  1. Although no longer in Detroit, the company still exists as the Ferry-Morse Seed Company. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pewabic Pottery</span> Historic pottery studio in Michigan, United States

Pewabic Pottery is a ceramic studio and school in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1903, the studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The pottery continues in operation today, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Circus Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Grand Circus Park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan that connects the theatre district with its financial district. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, and is roughly bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams Streets. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The building at 25 West Elizabeth Street was added to the district in 2000, and additional structures located within the district, but built between 1932 and 1960, were approved for inclusion in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Detroit</span> Cultural center and neighborhoods in Wayne, Michigan, United States

Midtown Detroit is a mixed-use area consisting of a business district, cultural center, a major research university, and several residential neighborhoods; it is located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue, north of Downtown Detroit, and south of the New Center area. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the east, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the north, and the Fisher Freeway (I-75) on the south. The area includes several historic districts, the Detroit Medical Center, and Wayne State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brush Park</span> United States historic place

The Brush Park Historic District, frequently referred to as simply Brush Park, is a 22-block neighborhood located within Midtown Detroit, Michigan and designated by the city. It is bounded by Mack Avenue on the north, Woodward Avenue on the west, Beaubien Street on the east, and the Fisher Freeway on the south. The Woodward East Historic District, a smaller historic district completely encompassed by the larger Brush Park neighborhood, is located on Alfred, Edmund, and Watson Streets, from Brush Street to John R. Street, and is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinton Building</span> United States historic place

The Vinton Building is a residential high-rise located at 600 Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It stands next to the First National Building, across Woodward Avenue from Chase Tower and the Guardian Building, and across Congress Street from One Detroit Center. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1982 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of metropolitan Detroit</span> Architecture style of Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, USA

The architecture of metropolitan Detroit continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The post-modern neogothic spires of One Detroit Center refer to designs of the city's historic Art Deco skyscrapers. Together with the Renaissance Center, they form the city's distinctive skyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright–Kay Building</span> Building

The Wright–Kay Building, originally known as the Schwankovsky Temple of Music, is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 1500 Woodward Avenue, at the corner of Woodward and John R. Street, in proximity to the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District. The building was listed on the State of Michigan's Historical Register in 1980 as #P25241.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural Center Historic District (Detroit)</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Cultural Center Historic District is a historic district located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, which includes the Art Center : the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district contains several cultural attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Col. Frank J. Hecker House</span> United States historic place

The Col. Frank J. Hecker House is a historic home in Detroit built in 1888 for local businessman and railroad-car manufacturer Colonel Frank J. Hecker. Located at 5510 Woodward Avenue, it was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958. It is located near to the East Ferry Avenue Historic District and Cultural Center Historic District, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The house has been owned by Wayne State University since September 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank J. Hecker</span>

Frank J. Hecker was an American businessman in the railroad-car manufacturing business. Hecker was from Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Lang Freer House</span> Historic house in Michigan, United States

The Charles Lang Freer House is located at 71 East Ferry Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The house was originally built for the industrialist and art collector Charles Lang Freer, whose gift of the Freer Gallery of Art began the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The structure currently hosts the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute of Child & Family Development of Wayne State University. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Virginia Park Historic District is located on the north side of New Center, an area in Detroit, Michigan, along both sides of Virginia Park Street from Woodward Avenue to the John C. Lodge Freeway access road. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue Thematic Resource</span> United States historic place

The Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue Thematic Resource (TR) is a multiple property submission to the National Register of Historic Places which was approved on August 3, 1982. The structures are located on Woodward Avenue in the cities of Detroit and Highland Park, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Detroit</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University–Cultural Center Multiple Resource Area</span> United States historic place

The University–Cultural Center MRA is a pair of multiple property submissions to the National Register of Historic Places which were approved on April 29 and May 1, 1986. The structures included are all located in Midtown, near Woodward Avenue and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. The two submissions are designated the University–Cultural Center MRA Phase I, containing five properties, and the University–Cultural Center MRA Phase II, containing three properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Financial District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Detroit Financial District is a United States historic district in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 2009, and was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of December 24, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown and Midtown Detroit</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown and Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Downtown and Midtown neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Latitude and longitude coordinates are provided for many National Register properties and districts; these locations may be seen together in online maps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George D. Mason</span> American architect

George DeWitt Mason was an American architect who practiced in Detroit, Michigan, in the latter part of the 19th and early decades of the 20th centuries.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 East Ferry Avenue Historic District Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine from the State of Michigan
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 East Ferry Street Historic District from Detroit1701
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 East Ferry Avenue Historic District Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine from the city of Detroit
  5. 1 2 East Ferry Avenue Historic District Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine from Cityscape Detroit

Further reading