National Register of Historic Places

Wells, William H., House

Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Listed
October 8, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85002949

About this property

The William H. Wells House is a private residence located at 2931 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This house was designed by Cornell architect William Henry Miller and constructed in 1889 by the Vinton company. At the time, the property was owned by the heirs of William Croul. William H. Wells, a partner in the law firm a partner in the law firm of Wells, Angell, Boynton and McMillan, moved into the house soon after it was constructed, and purchased it in 1900. After Wells' death, his widow sold the house to Ella Barbour, who owned the house until 1949. The University of Detroit Alumni Association purchased the house in 1966 and donated it to the University of Detroit. The house went through a succession of owners, and was refurbished in 2000. Banyan Investments LLC purchased the house in 2015. The William H. Wells House is a two-and-one-half-story, 18,000 square feet Romanesque Revival mansion, built of coursed, rock-face stone. The house is built on an irregular plan with an asymmetrical, picturesque composition. The entrance is within a projection, and a turret with a concave conical roof at one corner sits at one corner of the house. Other bays project randomly from the main structure. A 4500 square foot 1+1⁄2-story carriage house in red brick and clapboard was built at the rear of the house in 1891. The house is significant as an outstanding example of Romanesque residential architecture in Detroit and for its association with architect William Henry Miller. National Register of Historic Places listings in Detroit, Michigan 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.

Location

2931 E. Jefferson Ave.
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
42.34109, -83.01672

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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 Wells, William H., House listed on the National Register?

Wells, William H., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Wells, William H., House?

Wells, William H., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Wells, William H., House?

The period of significance for Wells, William H., House is recorded as the industrial era.

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