Hunter, John W., House

John W. Hunter arrived in Michigan Territory, March 10, 1818, from New York State. He settled in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, in what is now the city of Birmingham and was soon joined by his wife, parents, and daughters. He is regarded as one of the first three or four settlers of the township. Hunter was the original purchaser of the land upon which he built the Hunter House making a purchase September 5, 1821, and possibly one as early as December 2, 1818. First Hunter built a log house, and according to the county history published in 1877: 'George Taylor, a carpenter, and without a doubt the first of his trade in the township, came in the spring of 1822. He stopped at the Hunter settlement, and worked on the frame house which John W. Hunter erected in that year. This was the first frame house built in Bloomfield, and is the same which is now occupied by Ira Toms.' By the late 1820s Hunter had established himself as a manufacturer of farm implements and constructed a furnace in Detroit on land leased from Lewis Cass and also built a foundry near his home in Bloomfield Township. He served as township highway commissioner, and as a militia captain. John Hunter died in 1880 in Oakland County, three years after the county history was published. Long before, he had sold the house to his son-in-law, who in turn had sold it to Ira Toms. Toms was the owner in 1877. By 1893 Henry Randall owned the house and had it moved to Fremont Street (now Brown Street) possibly because of the commercial value of its original site. The house served as a private residence to a series of individuals until it was purchased by the city of Birmingham in 1970. That same year it was moved to a new historical park on West Maple. The history of the house has been exhaustively researched by members of the city historical society, and the recent move has meant an opportunity for painstaking study of the structure itself. Local interest in history centers around the Hunter House, which is not only the oldest house in town but closely associated with one of the earliest settlers of the region. The Hunter House is one of the oldest buildings in Michigan. It is a simple Greek Revival residence built for a man of considerable prominence in the early history of Oakland County.

The Hunter House is a simple Greek Revival residence, one-and-a-half stories high, and measures 26 by 32 feet. Greek Revival features include cornice, cornice return, and lintels. The house has frame construction and clapboard siding. An unusual feature is the plank construction found behind the siding. The house was originally located at 168 South Woodward (then known as the Saginaw Trail). The original site is now in the center of Birmingham's commercial district. In keeping with the needs of its many owners, the house has been altered several times and moved twice. By 1872, a wing had been added to the building. In 1893, the house was moved to Fremont Street (264 West Brown Street). The wing was not moved with the rest of the house. Changes have been made in the size and use of rooms as well as in plumbing and heating systems. Around 1920, a porch was added to the back. When the house was moved in 1970, the porch was left behind. Restoration of the house is now underway. Attempts at authentication include the use of a fieldstone facade to resemble the original foundation. The wing (14 by 17 feet) will be reconstructed on the west side of the house. The Hunter House has been moved twice but both times within a half-mile radius of its original site. Birmingham and environs are now almost entirely residential suburbs of Detroit. The house's new site in a wooded park along a branch of the Rouge River is suggestive of its original setting.

The Northwood-Hunter House is an architecturally significant example of late 19th century eclecticism. Expressive motifs from a variety of sources show a combination of Richardsonian, French and Shingle style influences.

This house, predominantly Chateauesque in design, is two stories with a full third story under the steep roof. An unusual contrasting surface quality is expressed, through the frank use of rusticated stone enriched with flush bands of stone, brick panels, and incised brick designs. White limestone and red sandstone are used in the porch and foundation; yellow sandstone in the entry arch and in the lintels and sills. Polished jasper is used for the colonnettes at the entry, and directly above the arch in the column separating the central windows. Ribh red brick is used throughout with specially cast bricks set in panels (between the first and second floor windows on east and north facades, and bands around the northeast tower). A low, closed stair leads to the main, flat arched entranceway. A recessed main door has been altered. Romane feeling is accentuated by polished jasper colonnettes with foliated capitals. The majority of windows are linteled with transoms of exquisite stained and leaded glass. Palladian windows are found in the gable ends. The red slate, steep hipped roof with irregular lines rises to a ridge topped by red clay caps. Red slate gable ends are sophisticated in design, including window placement. Two towers penetrate the main facade; a conical three-story tower topped with a fanciful finial, and a central square tower with a hipped roof rising to a flat top, surmounted by a metal cresting. There is a feeling of the shingle style in the roof line. The interior has survived nearly intact with all of its original very fine woodwork in white oak, Honduran mahogany and walnut. Another remarkable survival is all of the original solid bronze hardware--elaborately designed hinges, plates, and knobs. A side porch and conservatory were removed in 1966 by the Faith Memorial Lutheran Church, owner of the house before it was purchased by the Hunters.