Thompson Home for Old Ladies Address: 888/4756 Cass Built: 1884 Architect: George D. Mason (Mason & Rice) When David Thompson, a wealthy late 19th century Detroit businessman, died, he left his estate to his wife, Mary, with instructions to establish an institution of charitable purposes. In 1874, Mrs. Thompson allocated funding to build a home for well-to-do widows. However, construction didn’t start until about a decade later, when Mrs. Thompson was able to purchase land on the corner of Cass Avenue & Hancock. George D. Mason was commissioned as the architect The facility, known appropriately as the Thompson Home for Old Ladies, is a grand Queen Anne home with private rooms for 40 women. A 4-story central tower is joined on either side by 3-story wings with bay windows. The front entrance features an elaborate balustraded front porch. Fancy brickwork and painted band courses finish the exterior. A hipped roof with gabled dormers tops the home off. For decades, the Thompson Home was a prime retirement location. Later additions to the structure included sun rooms, living quarters for the staff and an infirmary that was funded by Mr. & Mrs. Benson Ford. After WWII, facilities such as the Thompson Home waned in popularity due to improvements in overall health and wealth. The descent of the Cass Corridor in the '60s & '70s only added to the home’s decline and it eventually closed in 1977. In 1978, Wayne State University purchased the building for its Faculty Club. In 1990, WSU's School of Social Work moved in. The School of Social Work relocated in January 2016. The Thompson Home wss recently converted to student housing. #Detroit #CassCorridor #MidtownDetroit #WayneState #QueenAnne #VictorianArchitecture #archi_ologie #oldhouselove #casasecasarios #houses_ofthe_world #beautifulhouseoldandnew #RawDetroit #PureMichigan #PureMittigan #MotorCityShooters #PureDetroit313 #DepictTheD #VisitDetroit #Michiganders #IGersDetroit #detroit_igers #ThisPlaceMatters #ThisPlaceMattersDetroit #MichiganPlacesMatters #TheAmericanHome #SceneFromDetroit #ThisDetroitLife #HellYeahDetroit #Local4 #GalaxyS8 #withGalaxy #ShotFromTheGalaxy (at Thompson Home)
