Antoine Beaubien, Jr. was a descendant of the Beaubien family, a name that goes back to Detroit's early years as a French settlement. He was also a member of the Detroit Militia. He received a patent certificate for the land owned by his family in 1810. The land itself, one of Detroit's early ribbon farms, measured a quarter of a mile on the riverfront and continued inland for approximately 3 miles. Before his death in 1850, Antoine Beaubien sold a lot on what is now present-day East Jefferson Avenue to a cousin, Charles Trombly, for $2,000. The following year, Trombly built this 3-story, red brick Italianate townhouse. At one time, this area of downtown had several similar homes. Only a few survive today. The next two decades saw the dwelling rented by a number of families, including some of Detroit’s most affluent - names such as McClelland, Cicotte, Whipple, Chapoton, Campau and Beecher, among others. In 1872, the home was sold to John F. Antisdel, a hotelier from New York State. Antisdel’s family would own and rented the property until 1943 (except for a 5-year period when it was occupied by Dutch artist William H. Machen). Freelance photographer Fred A. Plofchan, who worked for the Detroit Free Press, rented the home. He purchased it in 1965. In 1977, the Detroit & Michigan chapters of the American Institute of Architects and the Michigan Architectural Foundation signed a 5-year lease with an option to buy. In 1987, after an extensive 10 year effort rehabilitation effort, the home was finally reoccupied. Masonry repairs were made in 2005. In 2015, Optima Aegidius Group, a German real estate company, purchased the property. In 2017, the Beaubien House was converted into co-working space named...The Beaubien House. Keep it simple, folks. #Detroit #DowntownDetroit #Italianate #VictorianArchitecture #EastJefferson #JeffersonAve #archi_ologie #oldhouselove #casasecasarios #houses_ofthe_world #beautifulhouseoldandnew #TheAmericanHome #houseportrait #BrickStory #RawDetroit #PureMichigan #PureMittigan #MotorCityShooters #PureDetroit313 #DepictTheD #VisitDetroit #Michiganders #ThisPlaceMatters #ThisPlaceMattersDetroit #MichiganPlacesMatter (at Beaubien House) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbAf1G8LKhx/?utm_medium=tumblr
