This exceptional 1899 colonial revival on Iroquois Street has a prestigious Indian Village address, and a pedigree to match. Built in 1899, the original owner, Henry L. Walker, was the son of the owner/editor of the Detroit Free Press and a very successful businessman in his own right as the founder of an electrical business that wholesaled parts for telegraphs. Walker commissioned Rogers and MacFarlane to design the 6-bedroom, 4-bath home. With over 4000 square feet of living space, the house makes a very attractive first impression. Outside, you see a brick facade and tall columns and spider-web framing in the first floor windows that lends a touch of whimsy.
The home welcomes guests with a formal foyer and graceful stair. There's a library (wood paneling!) and multiple fireplaces to make snowy Michigan nights seem a bit cozier. The kitchen has modern updates, but maintains some of the house's old character with exposed brick walls. The kitchen has double ovens and has a slightly irregular double sink (it straddles a corner with the basins forming an L shape). The brick is pretty, as is the tile floor, but the track lights (fancy though they are) don't quite say "turn of the century" charm.
The living room and bedrooms make up for this too-modern touch. A child's room even has its own fireplace, which seems to have decals on it. At least we hope the polka dots and whatever illegible inspirational message we see in pictures of that fireplace aren't permanent. Then again, when you're spending half a million dollars, what's a little sandblasting on a fireplace? Pennies by comparison to the mortgage.
This house would make a great family home, given the large back yard and modern conveniences. The entire third floor has been turned into a master suite. This luxurious space has its own fireplace, a gigantic dressing room, and an ensuite bath with a jetted tub. The mechanicals and roof are updated, and the house has a gated driveway leading to a full two car garage. This property also has six years left as part of an NEZ Tax abatement, so that builds in some decent savings, too.
This is the second half-million dollar listing we've discussed this week. It compares interestingly to the Mies van der Rohe courthouse co-op we wrote about Monday. Both houses represent very specific kinds of Detroit living. The Mies unit, listed at $499K, offers about half the space as this house on Iroquois, though it would naturally attract a very different buyer than anything in Indian village. We wonder if the half-million dollar listing will become standard in Detroit, and if that kind of uptick in prices will ever extend to neighborhoods beyond Indian Village and other areas relatively close to downtown or midtown.
·1005 Iroquois St [Zillow]
·Lafayette Park Courtyard Co-op Asks a Whopping $500K [Curbed Detroit]
·Walker, Henry Lyster, 1867-1956 [University of Virginia Archive]
Loading comments...