Decades of Detroit History Define This Gilded Age Mansion Seeking $2M
Location: 79 Alfred Street, Brush Park, Detroit, Michigan
Price: $1,999,000
Year Built: 1873
Footprint: 8,969 square feet (11 beds, 5 baths)
Lot Size: 0.38 acres
From the Agent: "The Hudson-Evans House was built in 1872-73 for Detroit shipowner Philo Wright in the city’s Brush Park neighborhood. In 1882 it was given as a wedding gift to Grace Whitney Evans, daughter of lumber baron David Whitney Jr. From 1894 to 1904, it was the home of J.L. Hudson, founder of Hudson’s department store. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The three-story French Second Empire house has Italianate details, with red brick over rough-cut stone, two-story bays on either side, and a mansard roof of patterned colored slate. The main house and carriage house total 8,969 square feet with eleven bedrooms, five full bathrooms, seven fireplaces, and an enclosed three-season room. The carriage house contains an Irish pub and a separate two-bedroom apartment.
For about the past 20 years, the property has served as a law office. It sits on 0.38 acres on Alfred Street, blocks from Little Caesars Arena, Comerica Park, and the new Hudson’s Detroit on Woodward Avenue. The property is zoned Planned Development, which can accommodate residential or commercial use subject to city approval."
Built in 1873 for shipowner Philo Wright, the Hudson-Evans House stands in Detroit’s historic Brush Park neighborhood.
A historic photo of the Hudson-Evans House from the National Register of Historic Places filing
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The three-story French Second Empire house has Italianate details, including two-story bay windows, elaborate stone window surrounds, a recessed oval window on its east side, and a mansard roof covered in patterned slate. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The front porch had already been altered by the time the house was surveyed for the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. An inspection revealed that one of the stone columns incorporated into the porch was likely part of the original design.
In 1881, lumber baron David Whitney Jr. bought the house and gave it to his daughter Grace as a wedding present the following year. Grace lived there with her husband, John E. Evans, until his death in 1892. She remained there for another year before renting the property to J.L. Hudson, founder of the department store that bore his name. Hudson lived there from 1894 to 1904.
Grace Whitney Evans went on to become the first president of Detroit’s YWCA, which established a home for working women. She later moved to France, where she helped establish a British-American YWCA in Paris, supported American and French troops during World War I, and funded an international student center in Paris. She was awarded the French Legion of Honour in 1925.
The 1975 National Register nomination describes high ceilings, ornate walnut woodwork, and a spiral staircase extending through all three floors, with a skylight above the top landing.
For roughly the past 20 years, the property has been used as a law office. Its "planned development" zoning allows for residential or commercial uses, subject to city approval.
There are seven fireplaces across the main house and carriage house. The National Register nomination described three marble fireplaces downstairs and two more upstairs, along with ornate radiators, some with unusual circular designs.
The main residence has three finished floors. Together with the carriage house, the property spans 8,969 square feet and includes 11 bedrooms and five full bathrooms.
One bathroom has blue walls, white wainscoting, and a black-and-white tile floor.
An enclosed three-season room extends from the back of the main house.
The 0.38-acre property includes a separate carriage house built in the same architectural style as the main residence.
The carriage house has a private Irish pub, a full bathroom, and a shop on its lower level. Upstairs, a separate two-bedroom apartment is currently rented and was not photographed for the listing.
The house sits within walking distance of Little Caesars Arena, Comerica Park, and the new Hudson’s Detroit development on the site of J.L. Hudson’s former flagship department store. Grace Whitney Evans’s brother, David C. Whitney, bought a house directly across the street at 82 Alfred in 1893 and later built the David Whitney Building on Woodward Avenue.
The Hudson–Evans House at 79 Alfred Street in Detroit, Michigan, is currently listed for $1,999,000 by Nicholas Asplund, Lux Partners Global, @properties Christie's International Real Estate.
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