Historic vineyard caretaker home in Farmington Hills asks $210K

Just off of Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills, a piece of this Detroit suburb’s agricultural past has recently been listed at $209,900.

This 1,300-square-foot home was constructed in 1882 in what was then Farmington Township. It was intended to house farmhands employed by Frederick and Fredericka Bade, who had purchased the land three years prior. By that time, Farmington Township had largely transitioned from subsistence farming to specializing in fruit and milk production, and the Bades converted this property into a vineyard. The Bades, who had emigrated from Germany, lived across the street in an 1840s Greek revival farmhouse that is still standing.

In addition to the home’s distinctive gambrel roof, other architectural and historical details include a fieldstone basement, plaster walls, hardwood floors, and original doors and trim. The farmhouse-style kitchen has checkered linoleum flooring and vintage cabinets with surface-mount hinges.

Although the vineyard is long gone, the 0.9-acre property offers plenty of room for gardening. The home contains one bathroom and two bedrooms, plus two additional rooms that may be converted into bedrooms. This property is a City of Farmington Hills standalone historic site, meaning exterior alterations will need to conform to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

The home is located just off of I-696, one block from city hall, and only two miles from downtown Farmington. It’s listed through Deborah Smith at Keller-Williams.

• 31109 West Eleven Mile Road, Farmington Hills [Realtor.com]

Paul Sewick writes about the historical development of Detroit and its suburbs at detroiturbanism.blospot.com.