38th Annual Ann Arbor Historic Preservation Awards to be Presented June 2
The Ann Arbor Historic District Commission (HDC) will present the 38th annual Historic Preservation Awards during the Monday, June 2, City Council meeting, 7 p.m. at Larcom City Hall. The award recipients are being recognized for their contributions to the history of the city of Ann Arbor through their preservation efforts. There are 15 awards this year: four for preservation, five for rehabilitation, one special merit award and five centennial awards.
The City Council meeting will air on Ann Arbor CTN (government channel), and the video featuring the awards presentation will later be available to watch via CTN on demand. Visit CTN online for details.
The HDC is providing the descriptions for each winning building or project.
Preservation awards are presented in recognition of superior maintenance of a significant property to preserve its essential historical, cultural or architectural value for 10 years or more. The honorees are:
520 North State Street — This Tudor Revival style house was built in 1932 and first occupied by Dean E. Hobart, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, along with his wife Arletta. It became a rental in the 1950s and has been owner occupied since the late 1980s. Its two steep gables and half-timber designs are classic features of this style. The property also includes a garage in the same style. The current owners have owned this property for 35 years and have maintained it in beautiful condition. It is located in the Old Fourth Ward Historic District. This award is presented to Walter Hogan and Wendy Woodworth.
Huron Hills Golf Course Clubhouse, 3465 E. Huron River Drive — Huron Hills Golf Course is a beautiful par 67, 18-hole course located along Huron Parkway, adjacent to Gallup Park. Established in 1922, this historic course is noted for its dramatic elevation changes and views of the Huron River. The current clubhouse was built in 1962 in a modern style and designed by the local firm of Kainlauri, McMullan, Millman Associates. It cost $37,000 “equipped.” The 63-year old clubhouse — a simple design with roofs that float and undulate in a style resembling an Asian pagoda — adds to the course’s charm. This award is presented to the City of Ann Arbor Department of Parks and Recreation.
Phi Delta Phi Law Fraternity, 502 E. Madison Street — This Georgian style building was bult for the Phi Delta Phi Law Fraternity in 1916, and it is one of a handful of fraternities still occupying their original building on the U of M campus. Phi Delta Phi was founded in Ann Arbor in 1869 and is the oldest legal fraternity in the United States. Its chapters have produced five presidents and 14 Supreme Court justices. In 2012, it was designated as a legal honor society. The house is a cross between a fraternity and a cooperative, with chores for its 25 residents. It is a thriving residential community of law students and has been for over 150 years. Photos taken in 1919 by local photographer George Swain show both the exterior and interior and only minor changes have occurred since then. The Phi Delta Phi Law Fraternity received a Rehabilitation Award in 2009 and are now being presented with a Preservation Award for continuing to maintain their clubhouse in a beautiful manner.
Drake House, 1023 S. Forest Ave. — This Arts and Crafts stuccoed house with traces of Tudor style in the half timbering on the gable first appears in the 1916 City Directory as the home of Rollin E. Drake and wife, Rose, with child, Rollin V. Drake Jr. In 1939 it became the home of Emil Lorch, professor of architecture and director of the U of M College of Architecture, when his home on Church Street was demolished to make way for East Quad. Lorch Hall is named after him. His wife, Jemima lived in the house until 1951. Lorch lived here until he died in 1963. This award is presented to the Morton and Raya Brown Trust.
Rehabilitation awards are presented to projects that have substantially returned a property to its historic condition. The honorees are:
Arthur Brown House, 119 N. Thayer St. — Over a period of five years, the current owners removed asbestos shingle siding from this house and repaired the wood siding and painting it in true Victorian colors. Thanks go to the painter Mike Brown and his crew from Saline. This Queen Anne house was built in 1894 for Arthur Brown, a local attorney, Washtenaw County clerk and secretary and treasurer of the Washtenaw Abstract Company. From 1898 to 1905, Gertrude and Ervin Brooks, an “oculist and aurist” (eye and ear doctor) lived here. It changed hands frequently until Minnie and Edwin Kleinschmidt and their son, Early, moved in during the late 1920s. The family rented rooms, especially to nurses. The house was converted to apartments in the 1940s. It is located in the Old Fourth Ward Historic District. This award is presented to Lars Bjorn and Susan Wineberg.
Sage House, 325 E. Catherine St. — The current owners have removed inappropriate siding to reveal the original clapboard of their house. They had special wooden storm windows created and replaced broken or missing parts. The house is in the Colonial Revival Style and was built on the site of a much older house dating to the mid-nineteenth century. A twin of this house was created at the same time at 329 E. Catherine St., next door. The first occupant of the house was J. Royal Sage, a mail carrier, and his wife, Maude, their daughter, Margaret, and his mother and father-in-law as well. It is located in the Old Fourth Ward Historic District. This award is presented to Peter Osler and Elizabeth (Betsy) Williams.
August and Caroline Fruhauf House, 1622 Pontiac Trail — This elaborate Queen Anne cottage displays features of many of the Revival styles of the nineteenth century including Gothic Revival with its steeply pitched rooflines, pointed vertical siding in the gables and front façade, to the intricately carved ornamental trusses and Eastlake-inspired window trim of the Stick Style. It also has sunbursts, a popular Queen Anne feature, in three of its gables. The current owner, who has lived here since 1991, has done a magnificent job in restoring the woodwork and siding, and has painted it in glorious colors that no passerby can miss. The house was built for Augustus Fruhauf and his wife, and his occupation as a carpenter explains the elaborate detailing on such a small house. This award is presented to David Michener.
Sylvina Cowles House, 321 E. Ann St. — This vernacular Greek Revival house was built by widow Sylvina Cowles in 1878. She and her husband, Martin, a physician and surgeon, lived in Lower Town on Broadway. They were early pioneers and emigrants from upstate New York in the 1830s. Martin was the first physician to practice in Ann Arbor. Cowles’s only son died in the Civil War and her husband died shortly thereafter. She died in 1891, willing her house to the First Baptist Church. It was used as a parsonage until the 1920s, then converted to apartments in the late 1930s. The current owner has removed an inappropriate concrete porch and replaced it with an appropriate nineteenth century design in wood. We would also like to recognize the great preservation work on this owner’s other properties in the neighborhood, an example of a conscientious landlord. The house is located in the Old Fourth Ward Historic District, and this award is presented to Robert Rubin.
100 Huronview Boulevard — The builder of this wonderful brick Gothic Revival house, now used as office space, is unknown. The porch was recently repaired and repainted. The double gables on the front elevation with gingerbread trim are unusual for Ann Arbor. HDC likes to recognize buildings “off the beaten track,” and notes this is a lovely one. This award is presented to Milliken Realty Company.
Special merit awards are given in recognition of exceptional projects, landscapes or other unique preservation projects, including lifetime achievements. The honorees are:
Jeff and Christine Crockett, Old Fourth Ward Association — The Old Fourth Ward Association is being recognized again after recognition last year as a model community group by the Michigan Historic Preservation Association (MHPN) with their Community Award. The association has, since 1984, held meetings several times a year on topics of interest to the neighborhood and the community at large. These can range from pedestrian safety, to signage, garbage, parking, zoning and gardens. Aa newsletter is published twice a year and an outdoor party in the summer is also hosted for its members. Much of the credit for this goes to Jeff and Chris Crockett, who are tireless in their work for the association and for the City of Ann Arbor Bicentennial last year. They organized a quiz with 200 questions; a birthday party for the city at Liberty Plaza; researched and wrote up a timeline for every year Ann Arbor has been in existence; all while keeping their beautiful Queen Anne house in tiptop shape. HDC tips their hats to the Crocketts and their energy and commitment to the neighborhood and the entire city.
Centennial awards are given in recognition of businesses and organizations that have existed in Ann Arbor for 100 years. The honorees are:
Hildene Manor, 2220 Washtenaw Ave. — This Tudor Revival building resembles an English country estate but holds eight six-room condos (formerly apartments). When built in 1925, they were the epitome of apartment living with large roomy spaces, air conditioning and maid’s quarters. Apartment living was just beginning to appeal to the wealthy. The building was designed by the Detroit architecture firm of McGrath, Dohmen and Page. The half-timbering on the front façade with symmetrical stone Tudor arch entries appealed to this group. Other design features included a steeply pitched roof punctuated by chimneys and groups of double hung nine-over-nine and six-over-six windows. Since it was a cooperative, owners shared responsibility for the grounds, the exterior, water and heating. They received a Preservation Award in 1990 and are now being honored on their Centennial.
Burns Park Elementary School, 1414 Wells St. —This year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of Burns Park School. Construction of the school began in 1923 on the western edge of Burns Park, which, itself, grew out of the former Washtenaw County Fairgrounds and Racetrack. It is named after George P. Burns, a professor of botany and the first commissioner of the Ann Arbor Parks Commission in 1905. The school was originally named for the 19th century University of Michigan President Henry P. Tappan, but the name was changed when another Tappan school opened on Stadium Boulevard in 1951. The building’s Colonial Style was a nod to Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The architects were Bates and Gamble of Toledo, Ohio.
St. Mary Student Chapel, 331 Thompson 1925 — Designed by University of Michigan Professor of Architecture Albert J.J. Rousseau, this unusual Art Deco Roman Catholic church was dedicated in 1925 to serve students at U of M. Despite being trained in France in the Beaux-arts style, Rousseau had a modernist streak. The sculpted stone crosses on the exterior are a good example of the Art Deco touch. The theme of the parish's Centennial Celebration is, "100 Years of Faith: Celebrating our Past, Embracing our Future — We are the Church: All are welcome, All belong!" The cornerstone of the church was laid on April 6, 1924, in which was placed a time capsule. This time capsule was opened for the Centennial Celebration with historical items in remarkably good condition. New items representative of the current parish community were added to the capsule, which was then replaced on April 6, 2025. For more than 100 years, St. Mary Student Parish has been a vital spiritual home for Catholics at U of M and throughout the Ann Arbor area.
University of Michigan School of Dentistry — U of M played a pioneering role in dental education as this country’s first public university to start a school of dentistry, and the second university overall (after Harvard). Established in 1875 and originally called the College of Dental Surgery, the school was a leader in transforming dentistry from a craft to a profession based on science, research and best practices. Since then, it has gained global recognition, drawing students, faculty and researchers from around the world. Its rigorous curriculum and groundbreaking research have produced many contributions to public health and the profession of dentistry. Today, the U of M School of Dentistry remains at the forefront of dental education.
University of Michigan Medical School, 175 years — In 1850, a newly opened Greek Revival Building with massive columns greeted the first medical class of 95 students and five faculty. No one could imagine what they were embarking on in Ann Arbor, a small backwater in the higher education universe (Ann Arbor was founded in 1824 and the university opened in 1841). From this single building on the eastern side of the Diag was born a statewide academic health system now known as Michigan Medicine, which recently embarked on a yearlong celebration for this milestone. What followed were U of M laboratories, classrooms, hospitals and clinics that transformed U of M into one of the world's most respected centers of biomedical education, research and advanced clinical training and one of the largest and highest-ranked health care systems in the country. This celebration also marks a second milestone — the centennial of the opening of the Albert Kahn designed University Hospital on East Ann Street that came to be known as "Old Main." It served the community and the school from 1925-1986.
The medical school maintains the Simpson Memorial Institute on Observatory Street, which
had its groundbreaking in 1925 and served as a clinical research facility for blood disorders
until the 1950s, when it was converted for educational and office use including a medical
history center. Michigan Medicine will put artifacts, images and maps from its history on display for the public beginning this fall through a special exhibition at the Museum on Main Street of the Washtenaw Historical Society. Several public lectures are also planned.
Learn more about the HDC and historic preservation in Ann Arbor at www.a2gov.org/hdc.
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Editor’s note: An image of each recognized property (and historical images) are available upon request to jthacher@a2gov.org
Media Contact:
Mariana Melin-Corcoran, City Planner, mmelin-corcoran@a2gov.org