Detroit Architects: Grylls & Gies

Grylls & Gies was the Detroit architectural firm of H. J. Maxwell Grylls and Roland Gies, an early 20th century design partnership known for their refined residential work during the city’s rapid upper-class development time period. 

The firm’s homes often featured the balanced geometry and distinguished revival-styling favored by Detroit’s early elite — residences meant to convey comfortability, high status, and permanence without being tacky. 

The firm is behind a number of prestigious homes in Indian Village, including:

• The Percy D. Dwight House at 1012 Burns
• The Albert S. Keen House at 1038 Burns 
• The William G. Thomas House at 1127 Seminole
• The Frederick T. DuCharme House at 962 Burns

These residences showcase Grylls & Gies’s natural ability to create architecturally cohesive boulevards while still providing unique and tailored expressions for individual owners. 

Their work helped cement Indian Village’s reputation as one of Detroit’s most deliberately designed and enduring historic neighborhoods — one where architectural talent and social prestige go hand-in-hand.