Christopher Moross House

Part of the great French empire of Louis XIV was the settlement of New France, including the Great Lakes area. Grants of land, such as that upon which the Morass House was later erected, were allocated to interested parties, and French immigrants began to move into the areas bordering the lakes, congregating in fairly large numbers at Detroit. The land grants in the Detroit region were of a shape common to settlements in New France. Long and narrow, the habitant or ribbon farms faced the river, so that each farmer would have an outlet to the waterways of the Northwest, the main thoroughfares for commerce and travel.

The Gouin and Riopelle farms, bordering the Detroit River near Hog Island, were part of the early French ribbon farms. Part of the Gouin property was sold to Victor Morass during the 1830s. Later additions and subtractions were made to the property, and, prior to the death of Victor Morass, two brick houses had been erected by his son Christopher, most likely in the mid-1850s. The land was willed to Christopher, who held title to it for several years, after which the property passed through many different hands.

The parcel of land upon which the Morass House stands today is part of both the original Nicholas Gouin and Dominique Riopelle farms. The house itself is one of the 'two brick houses' erected by Christopher Moross prior to 1859, and is one of the few brick buildings of its age and style remaining in the Detroit area. The house was purchased in the 1920s by the Beaver Realty Company, who remained in possession until the recent acquisition by the Detroit Historical Commission. During the 1930s, the Morass House, labeled the James N.

Jones Building, was praised by the Historical American Buildings Survey for its architectural and historical merit and was named worthy of preservation and restoration. Actual restoration plans were initiated with the purchase of the structure by the Detroit Historical Commission, and the presentation of a Housing and Urban Development grant to the Commission for restoration in April of 1969. When the plans are completed, the Morass House, a living symbol of Detroit's past, will house the Detroit Garden Center, with several rooms open for public viewing.

The Moross House, at 1460 East Jefferson, was built of brick on a river limestone foundation and is one of the oldest brick buildings of its type remaining in the city of Detroit: Two stories in height, the town house is of modified Federal style with Federal detail. Stone lintels op the windows. The sliding sash windows are one over one-but may have originally been six over six sliding sash due to the presence of such a window on the west side of the house on the attic level. The house has a three-bay front, and other windows are scattered on various levels on all sides of the building.

The Moross House is presently painted a shade of medium gray. The first floor, entered by means of the side-hall portico, contains several large rooms and measures 24.1 feet by 48.5 feet, with additional space added by the adjoining rear section and a one-story addition to the west side of the house. The second floor is taken up by four rooms, averaging 16 by 17 feet, and a fifth room, approximately half the size of the others. Distinctive features of the structure are the parapet gables and symmetrical chimneys that grace the east and west ends.

The roof was originally covered with wood shingles, which were hidden for a short time by tarpaper. The wood shingles have been replaced in recent years. The house also has a decorative wooden cornice with wooden dentils.