Founded by “the three Walters” (Walter MacFarlane, Walter Maul, and Walter Lentz), MacFarlane, Maul & Lentz was a prolific Detroit firm specializing in quality residential design during the city’s rise in prominence with wealthy families looking to put down roots in historic districts like Indian Village. Their work placed a high emphasis on prestige, high-quality […]

Founded in 1890 by William G. Malcomson and William E. Higginbotham, Malcomson & Higginbotham was a prominent architectural firm in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that had a major impact on the city’s residential (suburban), civic, educational, and commercial expansion. Best known for constructing many of Detroit’s public-school buildings (for example, Central High […]

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 […]

William H. Vollmer (1874-1932) was a Detroit-based architect who began his career as a draftsman before transitioning to running a highly respected practice of his own during the city’s rise as an industrial giant. The homes Vollmer was hired to design had a significant impact on the residential prestige of historic Detroit districts such as […]

Founded in 1885 by architects James S. Rogers Jr. and Walter MacFarlane, Rogers & MacFarlane was one of Detroit’s most prominent architectural practices during the city’s late-19th and early-20th-century rise as an industrial powerhouse. Best known for their rigorous technical training and high appeal with both commercial clients and Detroit’s early elite, Rogers & MacFarlane […]

Rogers & Bonnah was the 20th-century architectural practice of James S. Rogers and Harrie W. Bonnah. One of Detroit’s most respected design firms during the city’s economic boom and subsequent residential expansion, Rogers & Bonnah constructed homes in upscale neighborhoods, such as the Indian Village Historic District – a community with a reputation for elegance, peaceful energy, and […]

Louis Keil (October 6, 1861 – September 5, 1918) was a German-born architect who had a major influence on Detroit’s architectural fingerprint in the early 1900s, thanks to his ecclesiastical and community architecture, which brings to mind the unique luxury of early 20th-century Great Lakes steamships.  Though best known for his churches and parish structures, Keil […]

William Mann (1888-1930) was a Chicago-based architect who had an impact on Detroit’s early 20th-century architectural landscape during the city’s rise as an automotive powerhouse.  Though not as well-known as some of his colleagues of the age, Mann’s work showcases his mastery of sophisticated revival design, proportion, structural solidity, and tasteful detailing, all of which […]

Mason & Rice was one of the city of Detroit’s most prominent architectural firms during the city’s early 20th-century formative years, founded by designers George D. Mason & Zachariah Rice in 1878, two individuals who would go on to have a major role in shaping the architectural rhythm of the city’s earliest elite enclaves through commissions […]

Wilson Eyre (1858-1944) was one of America’s most prolific Arts & Crafts architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – a pioneer of the “informal house” with a reputation for commissions that felt natural, intuitive, and lively. A native of Philadelphia, Eyre was a core figure in the movement toward proportionate, distinguished architecture, […]

C. Howard Crane (1885-1952) was a respected Detroit architect in the early 20th century and one of the most influential theater architects to ever live. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Crane relocated to Detroit in the early 1900s, and it was there that he became the architect of choice for theater mogul John A. Kunsky.  From […]

William F. Goodrich (1886-1946) was a 20th-century Detroit architect whose career had a major impact on the city’s early transformative period.  Although not as widely known as some of his contemporaries, Goodrich’s body of work reveals a consistent, gifted designer who was loved by the era’s early influential families, builders, and developers. As for his […]

Verner, Wilhelm & Molby was an early 20th-century Detroit architectural firm best known for constructing schools (including Monnier, George Washington, and the addition to Redford High School) as well as upscale residences during the city’s residential boom and industrial expansion period.  One such commission is the Harry W. Fauver House at 19471 Lowell Drive in […]

Cincinnati native Leonard B. Willeke (1885-1970) was a gifted and versatile early 20th-century Detroit architect best known for his quiet excellence and flawless residential designs, which saw him shape some of the city’s most distinguished neighborhoods, from Grosse Pointe and Indian Village to Palmer Woods. A master of Arts & Crafts detailing and European craftsmanship […]

Irving Tobocman (1933-2017) was born in Cleveland and moved to Detroit, where he developed an early interest in architecture at Cass Technical High School before going on to earn his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Michigan in 1956. After graduating, his first major commission was an apartment complex in northwest Detroit paid for […]