Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Trowbridge House
The Charles C. Trowbridge House is considered the oldest known building in the City of Detroit. Located at 1380 E. Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, the house was built in 1826 at a cost of $2,500. The land was originally part of a French land grant to Charles Chauvin. Ownership changed hands several times until 1825 when Trowbridge purchased lot four of what was then known as the Mullett Farm. He built the house for himself and his new bride, Catherine Whipple Sibley, the eldest daughter of Solomon Sibley, the first appointed mayor of Detroit. They moved into the house early in 1827.
The house was originally built in a Greek Revival Federal style and was later updated with Victorian elements such as the bay window in the front. Trowbridge lived in the house for 56 years until his death in 1883. After his death, the house remained in the Trowbridge family. In 1936, during the Great Depression, it was converted to a rooming house.
The Trowbridge family sold the house to Marie Cavanaugh in 1942, and it was then converted back to a single-family residence. The house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Today, the house is privately owned and serves as office space for several businesses.
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