The Palmer Woods Historic District is a
neighborhood
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...
located in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, bounded by Seven Mile Road,
Woodward Avenue
A woodward is a Game warden, warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to:
Places
;United States
* Woodward, Iowa
* Woodward, Oklahoma
* Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place
* Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which b ...
, and Strathcona Drive. There are approximately 295 homes in the district,
which is between the
City of Highland Park in
Wayne County and the
City of Ferndale in
Oakland County
Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, b ...
.
[Reindl, JC.]
GM president buys Detroit's Fisher Mansion for $1.55M
Archive
. ''Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
''. September 15, 2015. Retrieved on October 20, 2015. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1983.
The
Detroit Golf Club
The Detroit Golf Club (abbreviated to DGC) is a private golf club located in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan in the middle of a neighborhood area on north side of the city near the University of Detroit Mercy and Palmer Woods Historic District. B ...
is nearby.
As of 2015, many of the wealthiest professionals in the city of Detroit live in Palmer Woods.
[ The district is in size.]
History
The Palmer Woods Historic District is named after Thomas W. Palmer
Thomas Witherell Palmer (January 25, 1830 – June 1, 1913) was a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. He is considered to be one of the most significant figures in the history of Detroit, Michigan.
Palmer was born in Detroit, where his m ...
, a prominent citizen of nineteenth-century Detroit and a United States Senator. Palmer's estate included land on both sides of Woodward Avenue
A woodward is a Game warden, warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to:
Places
;United States
* Woodward, Iowa
* Woodward, Oklahoma
* Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place
* Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which b ...
, stretching from Six Mile Road to Eight Mile Road.[Palmer Woods Historic District](_blank)
from Detroit1701.org During his lifetime, Palmer donated some of his land to the city of Detroit to establish Palmer Park, and he gave additional land to the state of Michigan to build the Michigan State Fairgrounds
The Michigan State Fair is an annual event originally held from 1849 to 2009 in Detroit, the state's largest city. In 2009 the governor declined to fund it because of other priorities.
Because agriculture still has a major place in the Michigan ec ...
.
Palmer died in 1913; two years later, Detroit real-estate developer Charles W. Burton purchased the section of Palmer's estate that now encompasses the Palmer Woods Historic District. Burton envisioned an exclusive neighborhood catering to Detroit's richest citizens, with room for spacious and elegant homes. He hired the landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds
Ossian Cole Simonds (November 11, 1855 – November 20, 1931), often known as O. C. Simonds, was an American landscape designer. He preferred the term 'landscape gardener' to that of 'landscape architect'. A number of Simonds' works are listed o ...
to design the layout of the development. Cole laid out a subdivision with gently curving streets, capitalizing on the natural beauty of the area and creating a park-like atmosphere in the neighborhood. Curbs are nonexistent, minimizing the transition from street to lawn and discouraging pedestrian traffic, and every lot in the neighborhood had a unique shape.
Many Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...
and Tudor Revival
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
style homes were constructed between about 1917 and 1929. The neighborhood received the Michigan Horticultural Society's Award of Merit in 1938 for being the finest platted subdivision in Michigan.[Palmer Woods Historic District](_blank)
from the National Park Service After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, additional mansions were constructed.
In 2007 and 2008, there were around 24 residential properties that were vacant.[ By 2011, the community established its own private security service. By 2014, housing prices, which had previously declined, began to rebound.][
]
Demographics
As of 2020, Palmer Woods is both the wealthiest neighbourhood in Detroit, and the wealthiest majority-Black area in Michigan - based on median household income. As of 2020, the neighborhood had a median household income of $155,917. Ethnically, Palmer Woods is 74.8% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 17.1% European American, and 6.2% Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
.
Architecture
Palmer Woods is known for its elm-lined streets with large brick and stone homes in Tudor Revival architecture
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
, set back from the street behind contiguous uninterrupted lawn
A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. L ...
. Lots are large, with ample room for trees, play equipment, and a good expanse of grass. There may be coats of arms, leaded or stained glass windows, and other features (such as elevators) in some of the homes. Various properties boast more than one structure, such as a house and guest house, or maids' quarters. Streets gently curve through the forested neighborhood.
Palmer Woods has its own security service and an active voluntary neighborhood association. The home of physicians, politicians, business owners, artists, executives and their families, the Palmer Woods neighborhood has attracted some of Detroit's most prominent citizens. Charles W. Burton himself made his home in the neighborhood.
Two of the seven Fisher Brothers (owners of Fisher Body), Alfred and William, also lived in the neighborhood. William Fisher's former house, at 1791 Wellesley Drive, is , one of the largest in Detroit. Alfred J. Fisher's former mansion is located at 1771 Balmoral Drive. John H. Kunsky, the founder of United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
theatres, also lived in the area.
Almost every house in Palmer Woods has unique architectural features, but a number are particularly important. At the southern edge of the district is the Dorothy H. Turkel House, the only house in Detroit designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
. C. Howard Crane, the noted theater architect, designed the home of John H. Kunsky, incorporating many theater elements into the design. Minoru Yamasaki
was an American architect, best known for designing the original World Trade Center in New York City and several other large-scale projects. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. He and fellow architect Edward ...
and Leonard B. Willeke also designed houses in the district.
Bishop Gallagher residence
Probably the most significant house in the district is the 62-room Bishop Gallagher residence at 19366 Lucerne Drive (also known as 1880 Wellesley Drive).[McDonald, Maureen (November 28, 2006]
Visit with a Giant
''Model D Media''. Retrieved on December 23, 2008. The mansion was built in 1925 for the Fisher brothers, who hired the Boston firm of McGinnis and Walsh, specialists in ecclesiastical architecture, to design the Tudor Revival
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
structure.[Bishop's Residence](_blank)
from Detroit1701.org Upon completion, the Fisher brothers gave the property to Bishop Michael Gallagher, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
The Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer County, Michigan, Lapeer, Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb, M ...
. The home is the largest within the city of Detroit.
The two-story brick building consists of a large central structure flanked by diagonal wings. There are numerous exterior bays, each topped with a parapet capped with masonry and a finial. Religious themes are included throughout the house, both on the exterior and the interior. On the exterior, medallions, shields and crests are set into the brickwork, and a copper statue of the Archangel Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
defeating Satan is prominent. The interior is finished with oak, stone and masonry. The residence had, at one time, the largest collection of Pewabic glazed pottery tile in Michigan.
Bishop Gallagher lived in this house until his death in 1937. Subsequent archbishops of Detroit (Cardinals Edward Mooney and John Dearden
John Francis Dearden (October 15, 1907 – August 1, 1988) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Detroit from 1958 to 1980, and was created a cardinal in 1969. He previously served as Bishop of Pittsb ...
) also lived in the home. Upon Cardinal Dearden's death in 1988, the archdiocese sold the mansion in 1989 to John Salley
John Thomas Salley (born May 16, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player, talk show host, and actor. He was the first player in NBA history to win championships with three franchises (since joined by Robert Horry, Danny Gree ...
of the Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...
.
In 1995, the property was sold by Salley to Bishop Wayne T. Jackson of Great Faith Ministries International, who used it as a home and as offices for his ministry. In 2017, the mansion was sold by Jackson for more than $2.5 million to a real estate developer from California who collects historic houses.
''Forbidden Fruits'' (2006), a movie produced by Marc Cayce, was filmed inside the Bishop Gallagher residence.
Schools
Palmer Woods is within the Detroit Public Schools
Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...
district. Residents are zoned to Palmer Park Preparatory Academy, formerly the Barbara Jordan
Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician. A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-A ...
School, for elementary and middle school. All residents are zoned to Mumford High School
Samuel C. Mumford High School is a public high school located on the near-northwest side of Detroit, Michigan. It was operated by the Detroit Public Schools, and had been operated by the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan (EAA). DPS r ...
. Palmer Park is operated by teachers and not by a principal administrator.
Notable residents
*Mike Duggan
Michael Edward Duggan (born July 15, 1958) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician serving as the 75th mayor of Detroit, Michigan since 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Duggan previously served as the Wayne County Prosecutor ...
[
*]Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
(resided in the community until he was five years old)
References
External links
Palmer Woods website
{{Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
Neighborhoods in Detroit
Historic districts in Detroit
National Register of Historic Places in Detroit
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan