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Historic home, Elmwood Park, since 1889

William H. Wells House

Photographed standing in 2008

The Col. Frank J. Hecker House in Detroit, Michigan, United States, seen here from across Woodward Avenue, is listed on..., 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Built
1889
Style
Romanesque Revival
Standing
137 years

Designed by William Henry Miller

The William H. Wells House at 2931 E. Jefferson Ave, built in 1889. The family, the architect, the block it belongs to and what stands there today.

On the map

Then and now

On record

William H. Wells House on Jefferson Avenue, in Detroit, Michigan Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Today, from the street

William H. Wells House from the street today Photo: Street View, 2026

What is there now

Standing

We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 25, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.

The story

By Victoria Jackson, Editor in Chief Updated

The house at 2931 E. Jefferson Ave went up in 1889, in Detroit's Gilded Age, when stove works, shipyards and railroads made the city's first fortunes.

The plans came from William Henry Miller, working in the Romanesque Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque style.

On the city map it falls in Elmwood Park.

Most homes like it are lived in, so enjoy it from the sidewalk.

The William H. Wells House is a private residence located at 2931 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Timeline

  1. 1889 Built Designed by William Henry Miller
  2. 2026 Today 137 years and still standing

Where it is

2931 E. Jefferson Ave.

On this map

  1. William H. Wells House This place
  2. East Jefferson Avenue Residential TR Next door
  3. John N. Bagley House 250 ft
  4. WGPR-TV Studio 310 ft
  5. Deaconess Hospital 430 ft
  6. Joseph Campau House 0.1 mi
  7. The Players 0.1 mi
  8. The Bagley Mansion 0.2 mi
  9. Garden Court Apartments 0.2 mi

Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors

Who made it

Architect

William Henry Miller

American architect, 1848 to 1922. Designed the William H. Wells House (1889)

More from Detroit in the 1880s

Around the block

It is in Elmwood Park. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.

Photo credits

Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.

  1. The Col. Frank J. Hecker House in Detroit, Michigan, United States, seen here from across Woodward Avenue, is listed on..., 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. William H. Wells House on Jefferson Avenue, in Detroit, Michigan Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. Wells House, Detroit, c 1891 Photo: James J. Mitchell, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  4. William H. Wells House from the street today Photo: Street View, 2026

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.