Lost historic home, Palmer Woods, 1925 to 1995
William A. Fisher Mansion
Demolished in 1995
- Built
- 1925
- Torn down
- 1995
Designed by Richard H. Marr
The William A. Fisher Mansion at 1791 Wellesley Drive, built in 1925. The family, the architect, the block it belongs to and what stands there today.
Then and now
What stands there now
Today
A vacant lot
Detroit's William A. Fisher Mansion, designed by Richard H. Marr, stood on this spot for 70 years. It came down 31 years ago. Today the spot is a vacant lot.
- 1925 Built William A. Fisher Mansion
- 1995 Comes down William A. Fisher Mansion
- 2026 Today Vacant lot
How we know what stands there
- County parcel records VACANT RESIDENTIAL
Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.
What is there now
A vacant lot
- Today Source: County parcel records
- William A. Fisher Mansion came down Source: Historic Detroit
We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.
The story
The house at 1791 Wellesley Drive went up in 1925, during the boom years when the auto industry turned Detroit into one of the fastest growing cities in America.
It carries the name of William A. Fisher.
Richard H. Marr designed it.
It belongs to Palmer Woods Historic District, where the city protects the look of every house on the street.
On the city map it falls in Palmer Woods.
The house is gone now (it came down in 1995), but its story is part of the street's.
Timeline
- 1925 Built Designed by Richard H. Marr
- 1995 Demolished
- 2026 Today 31 years since it came down
Where it is
1791 Wellesley Drive
On this map
- 1 William A. Fisher Mansion This place
- 2 Alfred J. Fisher Mansion 320 ft
- 3 Van Dusen Home 400 ft
- 4 Bishop Gallagher Mansion 460 ft
- 5 Meyer L. Prentis House 0.1 mi
- 6 Mirton Briggs House 0.1 mi
- 7 Harry W. Fauver House 0.1 mi
- 8 Palmer Woods Historic District 0.1 mi
- 9 John S. Van Alstyne House 0.1 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Architect
Richard H. MarrArchitect, 1886 to 1946. Designed the Charles Burton House (1915) and 13 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Richard H. Marr
- Charles Burton House 1915
- Richard B. Chase House 1915
- William St. John House 1915
- Albert H. Steinbrecher House 1916
- Harvey S. Durand House 1916
- I.H. Nie House 1923
More from Detroit in the 1920s
- Chester A. Souther House Built 1925, in Palmer Woods Historic District
- Edward F. Fisher Mansion Built 1925, in Boston-Edison
- Edward Roney House Built 1925, in Indian Village
- George R. Fink House Built 1925, in Indian Village
- 19395 Cumberland Way Built 1926, in Palmer Woods Historic District
- Alwyne Lane Apartments Built 1926, Beaux-Arts
Around the block
It is in Palmer Woods. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
- Alfred J. Fisher Mansion Historic home, in Palmer Woods Historic District 320 ft
- Van Dusen Home Built 1922, French Gothic Revival, in Palmer Woods Historic District 400 ft
- Bishop Gallagher Mansion Built 1928, Tudor Revival, in Palmer Woods Historic District 460 ft
- Meyer L. Prentis House Built 1929, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.1 mi
- Mirton Briggs House Built 1925, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.1 mi
- Harry W. Fauver House Built 1923, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.1 mi
-
Palmer Woods Historic District
Building, built 1915, Colonial Revival
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.1 mi
- John S. Van Alstyne House Built 1925, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.1 mi
In the Detroit Ledger
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.