Charles Trowbridge House

Charles Trowbridge House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Michigan State Historic Site
The oldest surviving house in the city[2]
Location:	Detroit, Michigan  United States
Coordinates:	42°20′1″N 83°1′58″W / 42.33361°N 83.03278°W / 42.33361; -83.03278Coordinates: 42°20′1″N 83°1′58″W / 42.33361°N 83.03278°W / 42.33361; -83.03278
Built:	1826
Architect:	Unknown
Architectural style:	Late Victorian, Federal
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	76001042[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	May 28, 1976
Designated MSHS:	July 26, 1974[3]

The Charles C. Trowbridge House is located at 1380 E. Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest building in the city of Detroit,^[2] and was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974^[3] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.^[1]

History

Charles Christopher Trowbridge built this house in 1826 at a cost of $2500^[4] on what was then farmland, far from the heart of Detroit.^[5] At the time, the River Road (now East Jefferson) ran behind the house; the original access to the house may have been from what is now the rear.^[4] Houses of this type often had similar front and rear layouts, with entrances at both ends of a central hallway.^[4]

Trowbridge lived in the house for 56 years until his death in 1883.^[5] The house, originally built in a Greek Revival style, was updated with Victorian elements such as the bay window in the front.^[2][6]

After Trowbridge's death, the house remained in the family, and was converted to a rooming house in 1936. In 1942, the Trowbridge family sold the house to Marie Cavanaugh and it was converted back to a single-family residence.^[4] Today, the house is privately owned and houses multiple businesses including Trowbridge Law Firm, Trowbridge Realty, Dickson & Associates and RBD Creative.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Eric J. Hill, John Gallagher, American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter, AIA Detroit , Wayne State University Press, 2002, ISBN 0814331203, p.232
3. ^ ^{a b} "Trowbridge, Charles, House". Michigan State Housing Development Authority. http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/24830.htm. Retrieved September 3, 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Charles Trowbridge House from the city of Detroit
5. ^ ^{a b} James V. Cambell, "Biographical Sketch of Charles C. Trowbridge," read June 3, 1883, published in Pioneer Collections: Report of the Pioneer Society of the State of Michigan, 1907, pp. 478 - 491
6. ^ Charles Trowbridge House from Detroit1701.org

External links

• Trowbridge Realty