Wikimedia Commons/rossograph
Table of Contents
The Architectural Heritage of Michigan
Michigan’s oldest mansions tell the state’s money story. Lumber cash built this one, auto wealth built that one, and somehow they all survived. Here are 11 places that give you a peek at the state’s powerhouse past.
Wikimedia Commons/Dwight Burdette
Judge Dexter’s Greek Revival Estate Helped Freedom Seekers
In 1844, Judge Samuel Dexter built this Greek Revival mansion with its hexastyle Doric portico. Designed by Calvin T. Fillmore, Gordon Hall features six wooden Doric columns on
its facade and the central two-story section is flanked by one-and-a-half-story wings. Reports indicate it served as a station on the Underground Railroad, with a cellar and hidden passages that helped escaped slaves during the Civil War.
Wikimedia Commons/ Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia
The Whitney Restaurant Was Once Detroit’s Most Expensive Home
In 1894, David Whitney Jr. used his lumber fortune to build this massive stone mansion which spans 21,000 square feet and includes 52 rooms and 20 fireplaces…