The Alexander Chapoton House is a Queen Anne style row house located at 511 Beaubien Street in Downtown

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

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. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1980.

Alexander Chapoton

Alexander Chapoton was a descendant of one of the oldest Detroit families.Alexander Chapoton House
from the city of Detroit His ancestor Jean Chapoton was a surgeon in the French army, and was assigned to

Fort Pontchartrain Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Detroit (1701–1796) was a fort established on the north bank of the Detroit River by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and the Italian Alphonse de Tonty in 1701. In the 18th century, Fre ...

, arriving in 1719.Alexander Chapoton House Local Historic District
from Detroit1701.org Jean remained in Detroit until his death in 1762. Years later, Jean's descendant Alexander Chapoton inherited his father Eustache'sRobert Budd Ross, George Byron Catlin, Clarence Monroe Burton
''Landmarks of Detroit,'' 1898, Evening News Association, p. 167 masonry business and a fortune to go along with it. He later expanded his business and became an important contractor in Detroit, helping to build several commercial blocks and residences, including the

Globe Tobacco Building The Globe Tobacco Building is a manufacturing building located at 407 East Fort Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest tobacco manufactory extant in Detroit, and is listed by the National Register of Historic Places. History The ...

. He also served on the Water Board and was appointed to a commission that selected an architect for the Michigan state capitol. Chapoton's son, Alexander Jr., joined the family business and eventually inherited a greater fortune than his father had. Chapoton built this house in the late 1870s as rental property. However, Chapoton himself lived in the home until his death in 1893.

House

The house is a three-story brick building with its foundation placed at the edge of the sidewalk. The stone-faced basement raises the first floor several feet off the ground. The facade is asymmetrical, with a three-bay first floor upper floors of differing height. The brick and stone hoods over the windows vary from floor to floor. It is believed that the first and second stories were once separated by cast iron panels which were removed during renovation. The interior floor plan is unusual, having space for Victorian Living hall. The interior still retains the original trim, staircase and parlor fireplace.

Later years

When this house was built, it was one of a row of similar homes on Beaubien.Eric J. Hill, John Gallagher, American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter
''AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture,'' 2002, Wayne State University Press, , p.36 In the years following the house's construction, the area around it was cleared for commercial development. The development was especially prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s; as a result, only a few row houses remain. The Alexander Chapoton House is one of the last examples of Queen Anne style row houses in the city. The house was used as a rooming house for several decades. In the 1980s, it was purchased and renovated. Currently, the first floor is art gallery, studios are located in the basement and offices are on the upper floors.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses in Detroit Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses completed in 1885 Queen Anne architecture in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites National Register of Historic Places in Detroit