Charles Trowbridge House facts for kids
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Charles Trowbridge House
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1380 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit, Michigan |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1826 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001042 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 28, 1976 |
The Charles C. Trowbridge House is a very old and important building in Detroit, Michigan. You can find it at 1380 East Jefferson Avenue. This house is known as the oldest building in Detroit that we have records for.
It became a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974. Later, in 1976, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special place worth protecting because of its history.
Contents
History of the Trowbridge House
The land where the house stands today was once part of a large farm. This farm was given to Charles Chauvin a long time ago.
Building the House
Charles Christopher Trowbridge built this house in 1826. It cost him about $2500, which was a lot of money back then! At that time, the house was far from the main part of Detroit. It was surrounded by farmland.
The River Road, which is now East Jefferson Avenue, used to run behind the house. This means the original front entrance might have been where the back is now. Many houses built this way had similar front and back designs. They often had doors at both ends of a hallway in the middle.
Around 1850, Trowbridge added a brick section to the back of the house. A stable, which is a building for horses, was also built behind the house. This stable is still there today.
Changes Over Time
Charles Trowbridge lived in this house for 56 years. He stayed there until he passed away in 1883. When it was first built, the house looked like a Greek Revival style home. Over time, it was updated with new features. These updates gave it a Victorian look, like the bay window you can see at the front.
In 1889, part of the house was removed. The two sections on the eastern side were taken away. This left the house with its current size. An apartment building was then built where those sections used to be.
In 1929, an artist named Roman Kryzanowski rented a studio on this property. He lived and worked there.
After Trowbridge's Death
After Charles Trowbridge died, his family kept the house. In 1936, they changed it into a rooming house. This meant different people could rent rooms there.
In 1942, the Trowbridge family sold the house to Marie Cavanaugh. She changed it back into a home for one family. Today, the house is owned by private people. It is used for different businesses.
What the House Looks Like
When the Trowbridge House was first built, it had five sections across the front. It was a style called Federal. It had a main door in the middle.
Since then, two of those sections have been removed. The house has also been updated with Victorian style parts. The house now shows a nice mix of both Federal and Victorian styles.
The front and back of the house look similar. They both have an entrance in the same spot. There is a hallway that connects these two entrances. On the front, the door is on the left side of the house. It has windows on the sides and a rectangular window above it. A small roof hangs over the entrance. It is held up by square columns. Above the entrance, there is a bay window that sticks out. It has three sides and a decorated roof.
See also
In Spanish: Casa Charles C. Trowbridge para niños
