The Sibley House is a private residence located at 976 East Jefferson Avenue in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. It currently is used as the Rectory of
Christ Church Detroit
Christ Church Detroit is an Episcopal church located at 960 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as Old Christ Church, Detroit. It is the oldest Protestant church in Michigan still located on its original site. and listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1971.
History
Solomon Sibley
Solomon Sibley (October 7, 1769 – April 4, 1846) was an American politician and jurist in the Michigan Territory who became the first mayor of Detroit.
Early life: 1769–1815
Sibley was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth and Reube ...
moved to Detroit in the late 1790s; he was one of the first lawyers to live in what was then a small village.Sibley House from Detroit1701.org He served in a number of political positions while living in Detroit. In 1799, he began service in the territorial legislature; in 1806 he became mayor of Detroit; from 1815 to 1824 he was US District Attorney for Michigan. Sibley served as Michigan's representative in Congress from 1820 to 1823, and from 1824 to 1827, he served on the territorial Supreme Court.
Sibley died in 1846. Shortly thereafter, his widow, Sarah Sproat Sibley, built this home for herself and their two daughters.
Description
The Sibley house is a clapboard, side-gabled
Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...
-style home. The symmetrical front façade faces Jefferson Avenue, and is divided into five-bays separated by trabeated windows.Sibley House from the state of Michigan A central, columned portico entrance fronts the building.
Later use
The home was occupied by descendants of Solomon Sibley from its construction until 1925, when it was sold to the next-door church
Christ Church Detroit
Christ Church Detroit is an Episcopal church located at 960 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as Old Christ Church, Detroit. It is the oldest Protestant church in Michigan still located on its original site. Christ Church used the home for a variety of purposes until 1946, when it became the parish rectory.