East River Road Historic District
Encyclopedia
The East River Road Historic District is a historic district located along East River Road near the Grosse Ile Parkway in Grosse Ile, Michigan. The district includes eleven structures, including seven houses, two outbuildings, St. James Episcopal Church
, and the Michigan Central Railroad depot. The district stretches from St. James Episcopal Church on the south to Littlecote on the north. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1972 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973. The historically significant 1870s customs house was moved into the district in 1979.
.
The houses in the district are all situated along East River Road facing the Detroit River
with pleasant views and large yards. They are primarily Gothic Revival
and Swiss Chalet
in style, of both limestone and wood, and heavily ornamented with gingerbreading.
These homes were built for Detroit's affluent families, who sought clean and peaceful locations to spend the summer out of the unhealthy city atmosphere. Lloyd's Gothic Revival
designs contributes to the ambience of the island, making it an attractive location for many of Detroit's most prominent 19th century families. The residents and architects who built these houses were strongly influenced by Andrew Jackson Downing
and his publications Cottage Residences and The Architecture of Country Houses.
Among these houses are:
. Dallas Norvell (born July 28, 1825, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -died March 5, 1888, Amerstburg, Ontario) attended the University of Michigan and was later a gentleman farmer on Grosse Ile. He served as supervisor of Monguagon Township (1856, 1860-1866). He also served as Deputy Postmaster of Detroit. About 1870 he moved to Canada, as he felt the Island was becoming too crowded with "City Folks" from Detroit.
and his wife Elizabeth Campbell Douglass. It is a Gothic Revival
cottage designed by Gordon W. Lloyd
. The house is constructed of grey stone, and has an ornamental chimney, intersecting gables
with pierced bargeboards, numerous porches, and an oriel window
.
structure designed by Gordon W. Lloyd
. Shipping tycoon William Livingstone also lived in this house, calling it "Rio Vista."
villa. The house is built of brick with a wooden board and batten veneer exterior. It has an ornamental chimney, intersecting decorative bargeboards, and a large veranda. Formerly known as "The Lilacs" due to a lilac hedge on the property, it is now known as "the Wedding Cake House." After Lewis, Detroit mayor Kirkland C. Barker
lived in the house, after which it passed to Frank Osborn. The house has never been remodeled.
-style Victorian house, and boasts a secret passage and hidden bedroom.
, a former slave. Forth had worked for some time in the household of Detroit mayor John Biddle
and become friends with Biddle's wife Eliza. The two women, sharing an Episcopalian
faith, made a vow to eventually build a chapel. When Lisette Forth died, she left the bulk of her estate, some $3000, to build a church. Eliza Biddle's son William, knowing his mother's wishes, supplemented Lisette's contribution with some of his own and some of his mother's money. William's brother James donated the land for the chapel, and the two hired architect Gordon W. Lloyd
to design the structure.
The resulting church is a front-gable, Carpenter Gothic
frame structure. The walls a vertical board and batten, and pierced bargeboards line the gables. The entrance is located on one side under a gable, and a frame steeple tops the church. The building has stained glass lancet windows, including the 1898 Tiffany window, Angel of Praise, which measures 11 feet by five-and-a-half feet. In the years since its construction, the church has undergone several repairs and had multiple additions, but the main structure remains substantially original and in excellent condition. The red doors of the structure are dedicated to the memory and benevolence of Lisette Denison Forth.
established a freight system across Grosse Ile, ferrying goods and passengers from nearby Amherstburg, Ontario
to Stony Island, then transporting them via rail across Grosse Ile along a track laid where the present-day Grosse Ile Parkway runs and thence to the mainland. Canada Southern built a passenger station and other facilities on Grosse Ile. However, the railroad soon ran into financial difficulties, and about 1880 the Michigan Central Railroad
purchased Canada Southern. Michigan Central already operated a ferry service in Detroit, and phased out the operation in Grosse Ile. However, the population of affluent residents on Grosse Ile was growing, and the railroad expanded its passenger service, running as many as three round trips form Detroit to Grosse Ile.
In 1904, the Michigan Central Railroad constructed this depot to replace the earlier frame structure. The depo is built of yellow brick with contrasting base, window surrounds, and quoins made of red brick. The depot has been used since 1967 by the Grosse Ile historical Society.
The location of the station is cited upon land originally belonging to Isabella Hodgkiss Norvell, wife of US Senator John Norvell
of Michigan.
St. James Episcopal Church (Grosse Ile, Michigan)
The St. James Episcopal Church is a church located at 25150 East River Road in Grosse Ile, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.-Lisette Denison Forth:...
, and the Michigan Central Railroad depot. The district stretches from St. James Episcopal Church on the south to Littlecote on the north. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1972 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973. The historically significant 1870s customs house was moved into the district in 1979.
Houses
The East River Road Historic District contains several homes built between 1840 and 1870, many of them by Gordon W. LloydGordon W. Lloyd
Gordon W. Lloyd was an architect of English origin, whose work was primarily in the American Midwest. After being taught by his uncle, Ewan Christian, at the Royal Academy, Lloyd moved to Detroit in 1858. There he established himself as a popular architect of Episcopal churches and cathedrals in...
.
The houses in the district are all situated along East River Road facing the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
with pleasant views and large yards. They are primarily Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
and Swiss Chalet
Swiss chalet style
Swiss chalet style is an architectural style inspired by the chalets of Switzerland. The style originated in Germany in the early 19th century and was popular in parts of Europe and North America, notably in the architecture of Norway, the country house architecture of Sweden, Cincinnati, Ohio,...
in style, of both limestone and wood, and heavily ornamented with gingerbreading.
These homes were built for Detroit's affluent families, who sought clean and peaceful locations to spend the summer out of the unhealthy city atmosphere. Lloyd's Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
designs contributes to the ambience of the island, making it an attractive location for many of Detroit's most prominent 19th century families. The residents and architects who built these houses were strongly influenced by Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing was an American landscape designer, horticulturalist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival style in the United States, and editor of The Horticulturist magazine...
and his publications Cottage Residences and The Architecture of Country Houses.
Among these houses are:
Dallas Norvell House
This house was constructed of native stone from the quarry on Grosse Ile in 1851 for Dallas Norvell, the son of Michigan U.S.Senator John NorvellJohn Norvell
John Norvell was a newspaper editor and one of the first U.S. Senators from Michigan.-History:Norvell was born in Danville, Kentucky, then still a part of Virginia, where he attended the common schools....
. Dallas Norvell (born July 28, 1825, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -died March 5, 1888, Amerstburg, Ontario) attended the University of Michigan and was later a gentleman farmer on Grosse Ile. He served as supervisor of Monguagon Township (1856, 1860-1866). He also served as Deputy Postmaster of Detroit. About 1870 he moved to Canada, as he felt the Island was becoming too crowded with "City Folks" from Detroit.
Samuel T. Douglass House
The Samuel T. Douglass House, also known as "Littlecote," was built in 1859 for Judge Samuel T DouglassSamuel T Douglass
Samuel T. Douglass was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1852-1857.Douglass was born in Fredonia, New York and educated at Fredonia Academy. He came to Michigan in 1837. He served as court reporter for the Michigan Supreme Court from 1845-1849.After his term of service on the Supreme...
and his wife Elizabeth Campbell Douglass. It is a Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
cottage designed by Gordon W. Lloyd
Gordon W. Lloyd
Gordon W. Lloyd was an architect of English origin, whose work was primarily in the American Midwest. After being taught by his uncle, Ewan Christian, at the Royal Academy, Lloyd moved to Detroit in 1858. There he established himself as a popular architect of Episcopal churches and cathedrals in...
. The house is constructed of grey stone, and has an ornamental chimney, intersecting gables
Gables
Gables may refer to:* Gables, portion of walls between the lines of sloping roofs* Ken Gables , Major League Baseball pitcher* Gables, Nebraska, an unincorporated community in the United States...
with pierced bargeboards, numerous porches, and an oriel window
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
.
Anthony Dudgeon House
The Anthony Dudgeon House was built in 1859. It is a Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
structure designed by Gordon W. Lloyd
Gordon W. Lloyd
Gordon W. Lloyd was an architect of English origin, whose work was primarily in the American Midwest. After being taught by his uncle, Ewan Christian, at the Royal Academy, Lloyd moved to Detroit in 1858. There he established himself as a popular architect of Episcopal churches and cathedrals in...
. Shipping tycoon William Livingstone also lived in this house, calling it "Rio Vista."
Samuel Lewis House
This house was built in 1859 for Samuel Lewis, a prominent Detroit banker. It is one of Michigan's finest examples of a Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
villa. The house is built of brick with a wooden board and batten veneer exterior. It has an ornamental chimney, intersecting decorative bargeboards, and a large veranda. Formerly known as "The Lilacs" due to a lilac hedge on the property, it is now known as "the Wedding Cake House." After Lewis, Detroit mayor Kirkland C. Barker
Kirkland C. Barker
Kirkland C. Barker was mayor of Detroit, Michigan and established the tobacco firm of KC Barker & Company.-Early life:...
lived in the house, after which it passed to Frank Osborn. The house has never been remodeled.
Frederick Anderson House
This house was built in 1881 for Dr. Frederick Pope Anderson and his wife Mary Campbell Douglass (the daughter of Samuel T Douglass). It is a stickStick-Eastlake
The Stick style was a late-19th-century American architectural style. According to McAlester, it served as the transition between the Carpenter Gothic style of the mid-19th century, and the Queen Anne style that it evolved into and superseded it by the 1890s....
-style Victorian house, and boasts a secret passage and hidden bedroom.
St. James Episcopal Church
St. James Episcopal Church was constructed primarily with funds willed for the purpose by Lisette Denison ForthLisette Denison Forth
Lisette Denison Forth was an African-American woman from Michigan who was born a slave. She worked as a maid and became a landowner and philanthropist.-Early life:...
, a former slave. Forth had worked for some time in the household of Detroit mayor John Biddle
John Biddle (Michigan)
John Biddle was a delegate to the United States Congress from the Michigan Territory.-Early life and military career:...
and become friends with Biddle's wife Eliza. The two women, sharing an Episcopalian
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
faith, made a vow to eventually build a chapel. When Lisette Forth died, she left the bulk of her estate, some $3000, to build a church. Eliza Biddle's son William, knowing his mother's wishes, supplemented Lisette's contribution with some of his own and some of his mother's money. William's brother James donated the land for the chapel, and the two hired architect Gordon W. Lloyd
Gordon W. Lloyd
Gordon W. Lloyd was an architect of English origin, whose work was primarily in the American Midwest. After being taught by his uncle, Ewan Christian, at the Royal Academy, Lloyd moved to Detroit in 1858. There he established himself as a popular architect of Episcopal churches and cathedrals in...
to design the structure.
The resulting church is a front-gable, Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
frame structure. The walls a vertical board and batten, and pierced bargeboards line the gables. The entrance is located on one side under a gable, and a frame steeple tops the church. The building has stained glass lancet windows, including the 1898 Tiffany window, Angel of Praise, which measures 11 feet by five-and-a-half feet. In the years since its construction, the church has undergone several repairs and had multiple additions, but the main structure remains substantially original and in excellent condition. The red doors of the structure are dedicated to the memory and benevolence of Lisette Denison Forth.
Michigan Central Railroad Depot
In 1873, Canada Southern RailwayCanada Southern Railway
The Canada Southern Railway was a railway in southern Ontario, Canada, founded on February 28, 1868 as the Erie and Niagara Extension Railway. It adopted the Canada Southern Railway name on December 24, 1869. In 1904 the railway was leased to the Michigan Central Railroad for 99 years; in 1929 it...
established a freight system across Grosse Ile, ferrying goods and passengers from nearby Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
to Stony Island, then transporting them via rail across Grosse Ile along a track laid where the present-day Grosse Ile Parkway runs and thence to the mainland. Canada Southern built a passenger station and other facilities on Grosse Ile. However, the railroad soon ran into financial difficulties, and about 1880 the Michigan Central Railroad
Michigan Central Railroad
The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
purchased Canada Southern. Michigan Central already operated a ferry service in Detroit, and phased out the operation in Grosse Ile. However, the population of affluent residents on Grosse Ile was growing, and the railroad expanded its passenger service, running as many as three round trips form Detroit to Grosse Ile.
In 1904, the Michigan Central Railroad constructed this depot to replace the earlier frame structure. The depo is built of yellow brick with contrasting base, window surrounds, and quoins made of red brick. The depot has been used since 1967 by the Grosse Ile historical Society.
The location of the station is cited upon land originally belonging to Isabella Hodgkiss Norvell, wife of US Senator John Norvell
John Norvell
John Norvell was a newspaper editor and one of the first U.S. Senators from Michigan.-History:Norvell was born in Danville, Kentucky, then still a part of Virginia, where he attended the common schools....
of Michigan.
U.S. Customs House
The Customs House was built in 1871 at what is now 7799 Macomb Street to service the ferry and freight line being constructed by Canada Southern Railway. With the stopage of freight traffic, the customs house closed in 1883. The building later served as Grosse Ile's first post office, and in 1904 it was converted to a private house. In 1979, it was restored and moved to its present location behind the depot. The Customs House was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1982, and the building is currently used by the Grosse Ile Historical Society.External links
- Detroit Mayor K.C. Barker & General Custer (Barker lived in the Wedding Cake House)