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Chicago native Bloodgood Tuttle (1889 – 1936) was a 1910s–1920s architect whose early work in Detroit positioned him among the many great architects sought out by the city’s upper-class business families during its rise as an architectural and industrial powerhouse.
As far as his education, Tuttle graduated from the University of Chicago before furthering his studies at the iconic École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, a period that would have a major impact on his English, French, and classical-inspired designs rooted in balance, proportion, class, and urbane restraint.
After starting his practice in Detroit, Tuttle then shifted gears and relocated to Cleveland in 1920, where he gained notoriety through his designs for the Van Sweringen Brothers, the developers of the infamous “model” suburb Shaker Heights, where Tuttle would design 36 homes and was even awarded a commemorative walking tour in 1984.
From there, Tuttle debuted a series of demo homes on Van Aken Boulevard (nine total), all built in 1924 and featuring his usual sharp gables, quality masonry, and intricate detailing.
A core part of the American Institute of Architects Cleveland Chapter, Tuttle became an outspoken advocate for home renovation efforts all throughout the 1930s, which saw him promoting renovation and modernization as a road to economic recovery during the Great Depression.
As for Tuttle’s Detroit legacy, it’s just as distinguished, a reality easily observable in historic districts like Boston-Edison, where Tuttle commissioned the Frederick W. Sanders Jr. House at 1937 W. Boston Blvd.
The home was built for the heir to Detroit’s beloved Sanders Confectionery Company, Frederick W. Sanders Sr., and reflects Tuttle’s mastery of brickwork, classical detailing, and quality golden age craftsmanship.
Athough he passed away in Mt. Sinai Hospital in 1936 due to a cerebral hemorrhage, Tuttle’s work in Detroit (as well as in Shaker Heights) remains a testament to early-20th-century refinement shaped by Beaux-Arts training, suburban optimism, and urban ambition.