The Franklin Historic District is a primarily residential and commercial historic district located along Franklin Road and adjoining streets in the village of

Franklin, Michigan Franklin is a village in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Franklin is located within Southfield Township, roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of ...

in Oakland County. The district extends to Fourteen Mile Road on the north, Scenic Drive on the south, the Rouge River on the east, and several hundred feet from Franklin Road on the west. The district was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1969, and added to in 2005. It was Michigan's first district to be listed on the National Register.

History

The village of Franklin was founded by European Americans in 1824, and by 1828 had nine families, a US postmaster, and a school. By 1830 a business center was beginning to develop in the heart of what is now this historic district. Several of the early businesses, such as the former Broughton Wagon Shop and the Van Every Mill, are still extant in essentially their original condition. Franklin grew slowly for the rest of the nineteenth century. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, however, many

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

residents began relocating in the suburbs, as the population of the city continued to expand rapidly and new housing was needed. In 1926, the first formal platting of the village took place. Further population shifts accompanied highway construction and suburbanization after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, resulting in a development boom in this area. To prevent overdevelopment in Franklin, in the early 1970s The Franklin Historical Society began efforts to enact zoning laws to restrict it.

Description

The original portion of the historic district along Franklin Road approximately follows the boundaries of Franklin in the early 1870s. This section of the district includes 26 historically significant properties, many dating to the mid-1830s. The expanded district includes nearly 150 buildings total, of which about 100 are considered contributing as historically significant. The district is located along or adjacent to Franklin Road. Some of the most significant structures include: * Franklin Cemetery (comer of Franklin Road and Scenic Drive), a six-acre cemetery with monuments ranging from 1829 to the present. * House (32020 Franklin Road), a 1929 slate-roofed Tudor structure. * Franklin Village School (32220 Franklin Road), large brick structure constructed in 1923, with two rear additions. * Broughton House (32325 Franklin Road), a

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

house constructed in the 1830s and now used as the village hall. * J.J. Trott House (26110 Carol), an 1850 Greek Revival style house. * Franklin Village Library * Franklin Community Church (32473 Normandy Road), a large, prominent structure built in 1956. * Methodist Protestant Church (26109 German Mill Road), now a private residence; served successively as the primary house of worship for several of the village's different religious denominations. * Market Basket (32652 Franklin Road), constructed as a general store in 1900. * Franklin Hotel (32751 Franklin Road), constructed in 1831. * Temperance Hotel (32800 Franklin Road), constructed in 1840. * Franklin Cider Mill (7450 Franklin Road), a wood-frame structure built in 1837, which served the village as a grist mill until 1949, when it was converted into a cider mill.

Gallery

File: Franklin MI Cemetery.JPG, Franklin Cemetery File:Franklin Village School.JPG, Franklin Village School File:Farmhousecoffee.JPG, Farmhouse Coffee on Franklin Road File:MarketBasket.JPG, Market Basket on Franklin Road File:Franklin Michigan Banner.jpg, Franklin Community Church

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Oakland County, Michigan Greek Revival architecture in Michigan Colonial Revival architecture in Michigan Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan