Boston–Edison Historic District

Boston–Edison Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Michigan State Historic Site
Homes on West Boston Boulevard
Location	Bounded by Edison Ave., Woodward Ave., Linwood Ave., and W. Boston Blvd. Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Coordinates	42°22′54″N 83°5′50″W / 42.38167°N 83.09722°W / 42.38167; -83.09722
Area	256 acres (104 ha)
Architectural style	Colonial Revival, Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements, Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.	75000965[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 5, 1975
Designated MSHS	December 11, 1973[2]

The Boston–Edison Historic District is a

The District boasts the city's oldest continuous neighborhood association, the Historic Boston–Edison Association, which was founded in 1921.[6] The District received historic designation from the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office in 1973, the Detroit Historic District Commission in 1974, and the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.^[7]

According to the 2000

Architecture

Name	Image	Year	Location	Style	Architect	Notes
Walter O. Briggs House		1915[10]	700 West Boston Boulevard[11]	English Manor style[10]	Chittenden and Kotting[10]	This house was built for Walter O. Briggs, the founder of Briggs Manufacturing Company,[10] a car-body manufacturing firm, and owner of the Detroit Tigers.[11] The house is constructed from light-colored fieldstone.[11]
James Couzens House		1910[11]	610 Longfellow Avenue[11]	Tudor Revival	Albert Kahn[11]	This house was built for James Couzens, who was at the time a major shareholder in the immensely profitable Ford Motor Company. After leaving Ford Motor Company, James Couzens entered public service, becoming the mayor of Detroit and later a U. S. Senator.[11] His son, Frank Couzens, also served as mayor of Detroit and lived in this house.
Charles T. Fisher House		1915[12]	670 West Boston Boulevard[11]	Tudor Revival[12]	George D. Mason[12]	This house was built for Charles T. Fisher, the president of Fisher Body corporation. It is the largest house in the Boston–Edison Historic District at 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2).[11]
Henry Ford House		1908[11]	140 Edison Avenue[11]	Italian Renaissance Revival[13]	Malcomson, Higginbottom and Clement[13]	This house was built for Model T went into production at the nearby Ford Piquette Avenue Plant.[11] The Fords lived here until 1914 when their Fair Lane estate in Dearborn was completed. A State of Michigan Historical marker is placed in front of this house.[11]
Berry Gordy House		1917[11]	918 West Boston Boulevard[11]	Italian Renaissance Revival[11]		Originally built in 1917 for Nels Michelson, a Danish businessman who made his fortune in timber and real estate, the 10,500 sq ft (980 m2). the mansion was purchased in 1967 by Motown Records.[11][14] It is also known as Motown Mansion.[15]
S. S. Kresge House		1914[11]	70 West Boston Boulevard[11]	Mediterranean villa[16]	Meade and Hamilton[11]	This house was built for K-Mart.[11] The stucco house is situated on the largest lot in the Boston–Edison neighborhood.[11]
Benjamin Siegel House		1914[11]	150 West Boston Boulevard[11]	Italian Renaissance [11]	Albert Kahn[11]	This house was built for Benjamin Siegel, the founder of a large women's clothing store.[11] It is built entirely of limestone, maintaining a strict sense of symmetry.[11]

History

United States historic place

Henry Ford House
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Michigan State Historic Site
Architect	Malcomson, Higginbotham and Clement
Part of	Boston–Edison Historic District (ID75000965)
Designated MSHS	July 17, 1986[17]

The land now within the boundaries of Boston–Edison was first owned by John R. Williams (who was granted a single parcel in 1822) and Thomas Palmer (who was granted three parcels in 1828 and 1832).^[18] These original four grants were transferred from owner to owner over the next fifty years until they were obtained by the Joy family, the Newberry family, and Edward W. Voigt.^[18]

In 1891, Voigt, foreseeing the growth of Detroit northward, platted the Voigt Park subdivision, consisting of seven east–west streets from Woodward and Hamilton:^[19] Calvert Avenue, Glynn Court, Schiller Esplanade, Shakespeare Esplanade, Longfellow Avenue, Edison Avenue, and Atkinson Avenue.^[18] Four of these streets—Schiller Esplanade (now Boston Boulevard), Shakespeare Esplanade (now Chicago Boulevard), Edison Avenue and Longfellow Avenue—formed the Boston–Edison neighborhood.^[18] The original location of the neighborhood park was originally to have been between Chicago and Boston Boulevards, but was later changed to be situated between Longfellow and Edison Avenues.^[18]

The Voigt Park subdivision was immediately incorporated into the City of Detroit. Voigt platted spacious lots and set building restrictions that established the unique character of the neighborhood.

One of the earliest residents of the Boston-Edison neighborhood,

In the early history of Boston–Edison, three factors influenced the character of the community. The first factor was the tendency for employees and business associates to live in a cluster,[7] similar to early associates of Henry Ford did. In addition, six employees of S.S. Kresge lived in the neighborhood.^[7] The second factor was the tendency of several family members to live in close range. In addition to the four Fisher brothers (a fifth brother, Frederic, lived in the adjacent Arden Park-East Boston neighborhood^[25]), a number of Benjamin Siegel's relatives lived in the neighborhood, as did a number of Wagner family members (owners of Wagner's bakery).^[7] The third factor was the construction of Henry Ford Hospital in 1915, only a mile south of the neighborhood. Twenty-three physicians built homes in Boston–Edison.^[7]

Education

Residents are zoned to schools in the

In the past, portions of Boston–Edison were served by Hutchins Middle School.[30]

References