The Elisha Taylor House is a historic private house located at 59 Alfred Street in MidtownDetroit, 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]
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]
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