Wells, William H., House

The Wells house is significant as an outstanding example of Romanesque residential architecture in Detroit for its present integrity, and for its association with architect William Henry Miller. When the Wells House was built, the property on which it stands was owned by the heirs of William Croul. In 1900 T. Harrington received ownership of the property and immediately sold it to William H. Wells who had been living in the house for about ten years. Wells was a partner in the law firm of Wells, Angell, Boynton and McMillan. After Wells’ death, his widow sold the house to Ella Left Barbour, who owned the property until 1949. The University of Detroit Alumni Association purchased the property in 1966 from York Michigan Realty and donated it to the University of Detroit.

The Wells House, located on the northwest side of East Jefferson Avenue adjacent to the Bagley House, is an irregular-plan, two-and-one-half-story, Romanesque Revival building with a highly picturesque composition. The Jefferson Avenue facade is formed by an apsidal projection and by a turret with a concave conical roof at the southeast corner of the house. Various other bays project from the irregular and coursed, rock-face stone facade in randomly chosen directions. The interior is Georgian Revival in style. A one-and-one-half-story carriage house at the rear of the lot was built in 1891. Its first story is constructed of red brick; the gable ends and dormers of the steep-pitch roof are clapboard-sided.