The William Wallace Washburn House — 659 W Canfield St, Detroit, MI 48201

The William Wallace Washburn House at 659 W Canfield St in Detroit, MI 48201 has one of the richest backstories in all of the West Canfield Historic District – a residence that perfectly reflects the Canfield neighborhood’s evolution from a Victorian single-family home sanctuary to a place defined by sturdy, eye-catching apartments. 

Originally developed in 1881 by architect Samuel C. Falkinburg as a modest frame residence for Reverend William Wallace Washburn (pastor of the Cass Avenue M.E. Church) and later shifting ownership to Henry H. Valpey (co-founder of Valpey and Company, a boot and shoe firm), the 659 West Canfield residence is a living reminder of Detroit’s period of rapid cultural and religious development.

In fact, it was under Valpey’s residency prior to his passing on July 5, 1897, that the William Wallace Washburn home underwent a particularly dramatic transformation, with the original frame house being demolished to make room for a substantially sized brick apartment building that conveyed permanence and modernity in equal measure.

Unfortunately, Valpey died prior to the project’s completion, leaving his widow, Janet E. Valpey, to finalize the last of the construction prior to residing in the new apartment; her stewardship helped the building gain the reputation as one of the district’s earliest examples of prestigious multi-unit housing.

From there, in the early twentieth century, the Washburn House became associated with the Kenneth M. Davies family, a Detroit attorney with offices in the Penobscot Building who lived next door at 669 West Canfield in the home of Dr. Vincent C. Wall, while maintaining ownership of the William Wallace Washburn apartment house at 659 West Canfield.

In short, the William Wallace Washburn House has evolved from a small  frame dwelling to a stately brick apartment building – a residence that perfectly mirrors the broader story of the district’s rise as one of Detroit’s most distinguished historic streets, architectural adaptability, pastoral history, and early entrepreneurial ambition.