Elisha Taylor House

The Elisha Taylor House is a historic private house located at 59 Alfred Street in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Brush Park district. The house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[1] Since 1981, it has served as a center for art and architectural study, known as the Art House.[3]

Elisha Taylor House
Location59 Alfred St.,
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates42°20′36″N 83°3′16″W
Built1871
ArchitectKoch & Hess
Architectural styleFrench Renaissance Revival, Second Empire, Victorian, Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.75000971[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 05, 1975
Designated MSHSNovember 15, 1973[2]

History
The Elisha Taylor House in an 1884 drawing by Silas Farmer

The Elisha Taylor House was built in 1871 for William H. Craig, a local lawyer, land speculator, and president of the Detroit Board of Trade.[4] The architects were Koch & Hess of Milwaukee and Detroit.[5] In 1875,[6] Craig sold the house to attorney Elisha Taylor.[7] Taylor was a Detroit attorney who held many offices during his career, including City Attorney,[7] assistant Michigan Attorney General from 1837 to 1841, and Circuit Court Commissioner from 1846 to 1854.[6]

Description

The Elisha Taylor House is two-and-a-half stories tall, made of red brick on a rough stone foundation.[6] The structure is an eclectic mix of Gothic and Tudor Revival with elements of other styles, including Queen Anne and Italianate.[6] The house has a high mansard roof[7] with large protruding dormers and unusual vergeboarding at the peak.[6] It is one of the best examples surviving in Detroit of post-Civil War residential design.[7]

Current use

Since 1981, the structure has been used as a center for art and architectural study. The interior has been well preserved, boasting original fireplaces, mirrors, woodwork, decorative plaster, stenciling, Mintons floor tiles, parquet floors, and etched glass.[3]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Taylor, Elisha, House". Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  3. Art House
  4. Martelle, Scott (2014). Detroit: A Biography. Chicago Review Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-1613730690.
  5. Pajot, Dennis. Building Milwaukee City Hall: The Political, Legal and Construction Battles. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 3013.
  6. The Elisha Taylor Home from Detroit1701.org
  7. Elisha Taylor House Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine from the city of Detroit
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