Lathrup Village Historical Society Serving Lathrup Village Since 1992

We invite you to join the Lathrup Village Historical Society (LVHS) in our efforts to preserve the history and architectural assets of the City of Lathrup Village.

LVHS was founded in 1992 by a group of dedicated residents who fought unsuccessfully to prevent a developer from demolishing a local landmark—the old Town Hall on Southfield Road. Our members are committed to saving our remaining landmarks, the House-in-the-Woods and Annie Lathrup School, which currently houses the Academy of Lathrup Village.

Our organization collects and preserves documents, artifacts, photos, maps, etc. relating to the founding and development of the City.

Along with the Village Gardeneers, we co-sponsor the biennial Lathrup Village Home & Garden Tour that showcases our historic community.

We also like to socialize, as evidenced by our annual Holiday Open House and our warm weather pot-luck picnics.

The following articles provide a brief introduction to the history of Lathrup Village. Visit the other pages on our site for yet more information.

Welcome!

Contact us:

Bo Tomkie, Historian
248.552.1145

Webmaster
lvhistoricalsociety@comcast.net

Lathrup Village Historical Society
P.O. 760312
Lathrup Village, MI 48076

Did You Know?

n Pottawatomies, Chippewas, and Ojibwas were early residents of what is today the City of Lathrup Village.

n In 1831, the United States government granted 80 acres in the area of Goldengate and Meadowbrook Way to Selby Hutchinson to use as a homestead.

n On Friday, February 24, 1928, Charles Lindbergh made a forced landing in Lathrup near Twelve Mile and Southfield.

From Lathrup Townsite — a New City in the Making
(a 1926 marketing pamphlet)

The History of Lathrup Village

By John Sase Ph.D.

Note: The following was written in 1999 as proposed text for a roadside historic marker.

John Daniels, with his family became one of the first permanent settlers in 1824. Throughout succeeding decades the land passed through the hands of Caleb Hodge, Joseph Pearsall, Marvin Henry and others in primarily a farming community. Some early families, including the Beck and McKinney families have their final resting place in the historic cemetery on Evergreen Road south of 11 Mile Road.

Following the purchase of the Lathrup property in 1920 by the Investors Corporation which included Fritz Goebel, Earl Holley, Charles Stewart Mott and Walter P. Chrysler, Louise Lathrup and her mother Annie Lathrup began to acquire the total of 1,000 acres which contributes to the present City of Lathrup Village. Louise Lathrup accepted full responsibility for the development of the townsite. Miss Lathrup developed a plan for 125 homes and the philosophy of her envisioned community.

Drawing upon her English ancestry and love of California, homes were designed to reflect both styles and streets were given a mix of old English and California names such as Ramsgate, Middlesex, Cambridge, San Jose, San Diego, and Sunset Boulevard.

Bungalows made with approved plans were built of brick or stone with detached garages up until 1929 when attached garages became a specific requirement. In 1924 Louise Lathrup began construction of her beloved House-in-the-Woods, an English Tudor manor house built on 6 ½ acres of wooded property in the heart of Lathrup Townsite.

The townsite grew through the 1930s and 1940s incorporating larger and more elaborate family homes, and was incorporated as the City of Lathrup Village in 1953, but still retains its original charm as one of the first envisioned planned communities in America. §

Statement of Purpose