The Clarence W. Banwell House – 19450 Shrewsbury Rd, Detroit, MI 48221

One of the Sherwood Forest Historic District’s showcase houses of the early 1930s, the Clarence W. Banwell residence at 19450 Shrewsbury Rd, Detroit, MI 48221 is one of the most architecturally distinguished homes in all of Detroit – one reflecting the quality craftsmanship that appealed to the golden age’s affluent families and early professional elite.

Designed by early 20th-century architect J. H. Gustav Steffens for a building company owned by a man by the name of Clarence W. Banwell, the Banwell Home officially debuted on April 13, 1930, after much anticipation, featuring an impressive 12 rooms and a stately brick exterior reinforced with steel I-beams, triple bridging, and forward-thinking structural techniques uncommon in residential construction of the time.

Taken together, all of these design hallmarks elevated the 19450 Shrewsbury Rd property’s status in the Sherwood Forest Historic District, helping to set a higher standard for elegant, enduring, and stylistically refined homebuilding.

Today, that reputation holds strong, making the Clarence W. Banwell Home a standout example of early twentieth-century residential architecture – one backed by thoughtful design, structural sophistication, and historical visibility within one of Detroit’s most cherished neighborhoods.