Ransom Gyllis Home
The northwest corner of Alfred at John R in Detroit's Brush Park, one
block
east of Woodward near downtown Detroit
Camilo Jose Vergara has a national and international reputation
as an urban critic and photographer. More than any other single building,
the Ransom Gyllis home expresses Vergara's ideas and is a lynchpin in
his reputation.
Vergara has photographed this home dozens—perhaps hundreds—of
times, and includes it frequently in the books of urban criticism that he
publishes
for his growing audience. He uses this home to illustrate the acumen
and creativity
of Detroit's late Nineteenth Century architects; the tremendous prosperity
of the city in the early manufacturing age; and the city's current neglect
of its very deep architectural heritage. Just as a field biologist might
describe a species becoming extinct, or a linguist would describe the
death of a seldom
spoken language, Vergara has documented the decline of the Gyllis homes over
the years. Vergara's most widely read book at these issues is The
New American
Ghetto (Rutgers, 1997).
George Mason migrated to Detroit from Syracuse in 1870. Three years later, he completed his schooling and began working as a mechanical drawer. In 1875, he started collaborating with the architect, Henry T. Brush. Just one year later, he and Brush designed a magnificent home for Ransom Gyllis, a successful dry goods merchant. At this time, Brush Park was the most prestigious address in Detroit. In the ruins of this home, you may see the remains of an Italian-style tower and numerous broad arches above graceful windows. You could still see—at least in the summer of 2003—a trio of carefully designed round windows on the second story arch facing Alfred. Apparently, the original design for this mansion was greatly altered before it fell into decay.
George Mason had a tremendous career as a Detroit architect designing, among other buildings, Trinity Episcopal at Trumbell and Martin Luther King; the Masonic Temple, First Presbyterian on Woodward and the Gem Theater. Mason gave Detroit one other important gift. He was the first to recognize the talents of a young draftsmen working for Mason in the early 1890s. Mason won the contract to design the magnificent Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. He asked a teenage boy to design an attractive porch so that patrons could relax and watch the steamers ply the lakes. That was Albert Kahn.
Vergara finds that the progressively deteriorating Gyllis Home expresses his view of America's disdain for its architectural heritage. Is this fair or balanced? If Vergara had walked 250 feet west on Alfred toward Woodward, he would have seen two magnificently restored Victorian Era mansions: the Hudson-Evans Home at 79 Alfred and the Elisha Taylor Home at 59 Alfred. Which of these homes better represents the city's and nation's appreciation for its artistic wealth—the decaying Gyllis Home or the restored Taylor and Hudson-Evans homes? In late 2005, the Ransom Gyllis home was still falling into ruin, but there are many signs of new investments and renewal in the immediage Brush Park neighborhood.
Architects; Henry T. Brush and George D. Mason
Architectural style: Flamboyant and eclectic variations on a Victorian theme
Date of Completion: 1876
Use in 2003: Abandoned ruin
City of Detroit: Designated Historic District: Brush Park District. This historic
district was established on January 23, 1980 and is bounded by Woodward, Mack,
Beaubien and the Fisher Expressway.
State of Michigan Register of Historic Sites: Not listed
National Register of Historic Sites: Not listed
Photo: Ren Farley; November, 2003
Description updated: December 28, 2005
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