Boston-Edison Historic District

The Boston-Edison Historic District is significant as a large residential area of quality and substantial architecture of the first quarter of the 20th century. It is also significant for the associations of a number of persons important in the industrial, religious and cultural development of Detroit and the nation in the period between 1900 and 1930. The Boston-Edison District is one of Detroit's early developments. The part between Woodward and Hamilton was incorporated into the city in 1891; that between Hamilton and Linwood was as early as 1903 and spread west. The area between Hamilton and Twelfth was developed between 1916 and 1919, while that between Twelfth and Linwood between 1919 and 1925. By the latter date, the largest part of the construction had been finished, although a few homes were still being erected near Linwood as late as 1930. Various factors helped shape the residential district which grew up during those years. Four of these are of particular interest for they throw light on the way of life of the times. The first factor is the construction of Henry Ford Hospital, 2799 West Grand River, nearby in 1915. This undoubtedly accounts for the large number of physicians, twenty-three, who built homes in the western part of the district. A second factor is the lack of discriminatory regulations against Jews. As a result, a large number of Jewish families, some of them quite prominent in the affairs of Detroit, located in the area. A third factor is the growth of extended families, corporate and individual. Three large colonies can be cited. For example, Benjamin Siegel, founder of the Benjamin Siegel Company, an important early clothing company in Detroit, lived at 150 Boston Boulevard West. He was a cousin of Jacob Siegel who lived at 151 Boston Boulevard West, and married his daughter Sophie. Jacob, apparent founder of the American Corset Company, had two sons who lived in the district. Eugene lived with him, while Joseph lived at 610 Boston Boulevard West. Another family was the Wagner family, scattered through subdivisions, which owned and operated a large baking company in Detroit. Four members of the family, John who lived at 859 Boston Boulevard, Henry Jr. who lived at 2255 Boston Boulevard, Henry Sr. who lived at 2285 Boston Boulevard and Richard who lived at 1970 Chicago, all resided within the district. A third colony is represented by the Fisher Brothers, founders of the Fisher Automotive Company, now a part of General Motors. Four of the seven brothers resided within the district. Charles lived at 670 Boston Boulevard, Edward lived at 892 Boston Boulevard, Alf J. lived at 1556 Chicago, while William lived at 111 Edison.

The Boston Edison Historic District is bounded by Edison on the south, Woodward Avenue on the east, Glynn Court on the north as far west as Hamilton. At this point the boundary swings south one half block before turning back west along the alley until it reaches Linwood which is the western boundary of the district. All of the structures (approximately 900) within this 36 block area are large single residences; and the great majority were built between 1900 and 1925. While eclectic in style, they possess a uniformity in roof line, in scale, in set-back from the street, and in the use of stone or brick construction. There is a definite correlation between the size of the homes, and their location within the district. This is due to the variations in the size of the lots, and to building regulations which stipulate the minimum distance between the sides of the house and the lot on which it stands. The lots in the area around Longfellow and Hamilton are frequently one hundred seventy-five feet long by fifty or seventy-five feet wide. Frequently two would be utilized for one house. By comparison, as one moves south and west across the district, the size of the lots diminishes until in the area south of Longfellow and west of Twelfth Street the average lot size is forty feet wide by one hundred thirty-three feet long. The result is that while homes in this area are still relatively large, they are visibly more crowded together. Nevertheless, this was not the poorer side of the district. Both Henry Ford and J. L. Webber, manager of the chain of Hudson's Department stores lived in this area. The architecture in the Boston-Edison District, as is characteristic of most residential districts constructed in the early part of the twentieth century, shows influence from many different styles. For this reason, it will be more useful to classify the homes on the basis of recurring architectural features. By using this approach, the houses in the district can, with very few exceptions, be placed in four broad groups. Examples of each group are discussed in the supplement.