The Moross House is a house located at 1460 East Jefferson Avenue in

Detroit 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 t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. It is one of the oldest surviving brick house in the city; it was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971 and 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 ...

in 1972.

History

The Moross House was built in 1840 by French brickmaker Christopher Moross; it was one of two homes built by him on the site.Eric J. Hill, John Gallagher, American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter
''AIA Detroit,'' Wayne State University Press, 2002, , p. 234 The Moross House is the oldest brick dwelling remaining in the city of Detroit. Ownership of the property changed hands several times, and included owner Colonel Freeman Norvell, son of US Senator John Norvell of Michigan. The Colonel fought at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, was a University of Michigan Regent, State Senator and co-owner of the Detroit Free Press. The Detroit Historical Commission purchased the property in the 1960s and completely restored the home from 1971 - 1973. The home was placed on the National Historic Register in 1972. The city of Detroit operated the home as the Moross House Museum and the Detroit Garden Center used the house and gardens for events, meetings, parties and sensational plantings. According to the University Michigan, the gardens contain the oldest, or second oldest, wisteria in the Midwest. In 2002 the city of Detroit sold the home and property to Mr. and Mr. Roland Scott. In April 2016, the Moross House and property was sold to LTD Limited, LLC, a Michigan Limited Liability Company owned by Linda K. Schinkel Rodney and her two sons Theodore M. Shinkle and N. Douglas Shinkle and Theodore individually. The home and property are currently the studio, showroom and gallery for Schinkel Fine Art, LLC, a fine art business representing the artworks of Mother/Son Artist Duo Linda Schinkel Rodney and Theodore M. Schinkel. The Artist Duo creates luminous dimensional 2D mixed media metal sculpture from their original artist process: etch, engrave, paint, and grind by hand, photography, media, print, and automotive finish, known as Metalagram®. LTD Limited is currently renovating the Moross House and gardens, now Detroit Secret Garden, to restore and bring back the Moross House legacy of inspiring the arts and serving the city of Detroit as an event and garden space. A 2020 launch is planned for Moross House events and accommodations rentals and more.

Description

The Moross House is a three-bay townhouse, built in a vernacular

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

style with

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

details, including heavy stone lintels and sidelights and a transom surrounding the entrance. It stands two stories tall, built on a foundation of river limestone.Moross House
from the state of Michigan The roof is parapeted with wood shingles, and a pair of chimneys bracket the roof. A single-story addition sits to the rear, and a second is on the side.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses in Detroit Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses completed in 1848 Michigan State Historic Sites National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Federal architecture in Michigan