Thompson Home
About this property
The Thompson Home is a Victorian structure located at 4756 Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Originally the Thompson Home for Old Ladies, it was constructed in 1884, designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. David Thompson, a wealthy Detroit businessman, died in the early 1870s, leaving his estate to his wife Mary with instructions to establish a charitable institution. In 1874, Mary Thompson allocated $10,000 to build a home for aged women. However, construction did not start until nearly ten years later when land was purchased and Mary commissioned George D. Mason of the firm Mason & Rice to design the home. Mason designed a four-story home measuring 60 by 90 feet with private rooms for forty women. For a number of years, the Thompson Home was a prestigious retirement home for wealthy widows. Sun rooms were added to the original structure in 1914, living quarters for the staff were added in the 1950s, and a five-bed infirmary was constructed in 1964. However, the number of residents declined in the 1960s and 1970s, and the home closed in 1977. Wayne State University bought the building and remodeled it, and in 1980 WSU's School of Social Work was installed in the building. In 2015, the School of Social Work relocated. The building was then converted into housing for students from the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, reopening in Fall of 2017 after an extensive renovation. The four-story home is Queen Anne in style. The front façade is dominated by an 80-foot tower, on either side of which bay window protrude. The windows are symmetric about the front, and a large stone carrying the building's name is set between the second and third floor. Artistic brickwork and painted bandcourses finish the exterior. Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3. Sobocinski, Melanie Grunow (2005). Detroit and Rome: building on the past. Regents of the University of Michigan. ISBN 0-933691-09-2.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Thompson Home listed on the National Register?
Thompson Home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Thompson Home?
Thompson Home is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Thompson Home?
The period of significance for Thompson Home is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Thompson Home?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Thompson Home will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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