Henry Cornwell House, 1894

538 North Division Street Henry Cornwell House, 1894 The exterior of this impressive brick structure belies its owner's renown as a self-made lumber baron. Only the lavish use of wood in the 17-room interior provides a clue to his occupation. In 1840 Henry and his brother Harvey established a paper mill on the Huron River west of Ann Arbor. By the 1860s they were already wealthy men, owning lumber mills in Ypsilanti as well. When Henry built this Queen Anne /Colonial Revival house, he was replacing his earlier Italianate house which had stood on the same site. The new house was one of several highlighted in the 1896 Ann Arbor Headlight.

Henry's son Frank and his family remained in the home after Henry's death but moved out after World War I when the house became too big for them. In December 1927 the house was sold to the Beth Israel Congregation and served as its synagogue for nearly 20 years. In 1946 it was sold to Mrs. Ruth Farley Pack, a local realtor, and in April of 1949, to the Pentecostal Church of God.

In 1951 St. Thomas Church bought it for a youth center. It was used in this capacity until the late 1970s when it was sold to William DeBrooke who began a restoration of the house as a residential property. In 1983, Deucalion Resources Group, a computer software company, completed the restoration of the house, this time for offices. Deucalion preserved the 15 black walnut trees on the front lawn as well and in 1984 received a Preservation Award from the Ann Arbor Historic District Commission. The house today is the home of Baseview-Macintosh Publishing Systems for Newspapers.

[Note: This building has been the office of the law firm of Ferguson & Widmayer, P.C. since 1998.]