House at Cass and Kirby

**leady106** · November-06-09, 12:21 PM

Does any know who is updating the house on Cass and Kirby [[behind the historical museum and accross Cass from the Ruether Libriary) and what was the previous and future use of this structure? It is great to see this corner being improved because of the work on this site and structure.
Also, does anyone know the time-linr and statis of the midtown loop?

**Todd_Scott** · November-06-09, 01:25 PM

Phase I of the Midtown Loop should break ground in the spring. As I believe I'd mentioned earlier, MDOT swapped their funding source to take advantage of stimulus funding. That led to a major delay as the UCCA had to make changes to all their easement agreements. It should be worth the wait.

**Irvine Laird** · November-06-09, 01:55 PM

The Detroit Historical Society sold the house to a business that is converting the property into offices.

**Ray1936** · November-06-09, 06:45 PM

Looks pretty nice on Google Street View from a couple years back.

stinkbug · November-06-09, 08:44 PM

Computech, formerly of Bingham Farms, is moving their offices into that house. Used to be used for storage by the Detroit Historical Society.

Lorax · November-06-09, 09:46 PM

Having attended Wayne, I walked past that great old house every day. Glad to see it's getting used for something again.

**tahleel** · November-06-09, 10:23 PM

Stinkbug is correct. I've spoken with one of the people coordinating the renovations for the house. Looks cool, hope they get it done soon. Atleast put the windows in before it gets too cold.

-Tahleel

**Kathleen** · November-06-09, 10:42 PM

James Joy House, 100 W. Kirby
1897 [[architects: George Mason and Zachariah Rice)

The following is from the Fort Street Presbyterian website:

James F. Joy, Jr. was born in 1847 in a Detroit house that later was home to Ulysses Grant. After graduating from Yale, James Joy became first secretary, then Vice President of the Detroit Union Railroad Station & Depot Company. The company, organized in 1881, managed buildings, docks, grain elevators and the railroad depot's operations on more than 40 acres of property. He was a well-known Detroit capitalist, and was half-brother of Henry B. Joy and Richard P. Joy, whose investments eventually led to the rise of the Packard company in automotive and electronic technology.

James Joy was a modest, self-effacing man. An unidentified news writer, in 1910, said of him: "He was truly pious without any assumption of pietism, and his wide charities were known only to his closest friends and benefactors."

Joy was active in the Detroit Presbyterian Alliance and the Detroit Presbytery, where he helped plan and support church growth and served as a quiet mediator between various factions during Detroit's swift population increase. At Fort Street, James Joy delighted in being the superintendent of the Sunday School and associating with children. And it was James Joy who, indirectly, moved the John C. Lodge Freeway and saved this church building.

Joy died of what appears to have been a massive stroke, suffered March 7, 1910, just outside his house at 50 Kirby Avenue West. The Detroit Free Press wrote that: "Mr. Joy was stricken a few steps from his house, on his way to board a car to his office at the Penobscot building."

**French777** · March-30-10, 05:24 AM

http://modeldmedia.com/devnews/computech033010.aspx

New offices moving to midtown!

**DLife** · March-30-10, 08:54 AM

Is that the same house on google as in the Model D article?? The renovation picture shows the house it much worse shape.

**Kathleen** · March-30-10, 11:36 AM

Yes, it sure is the same house. The wood window treatments are in great need of renovation and/or replacement. But thankfully the brick is in pretty good repair...a good powerwashing has done wonders! I'll be interested in watching their progress on the house and, once the exterior work is done, the landscaping.

**Scout** · April-01-10, 12:54 PM

Being installed today. Window trims being painted. The house looks great.

**casscorridor** · April-01-10, 06:50 PM

The building looked better before they ripped out all the landscaping and the vines from the brick. Still great to see it renovated and occupied nonetheless. Hopefully they will re-landscape and let vines grow up it again!

**mauser** · April-02-10, 07:47 AM

Originally Posted by casscorridor

The building looked better before they ripped out all the landscaping and the vines from the brick. Still great to see it renovated and occupied nonetheless. Hopefully they will re-landscape and let vines grow up it again!

vines aren't very friendly creatures for brick buildings.

**detroitbred** · April-02-10, 08:24 AM

Mauser, you are so right about the vines. My house had english ivy growing aroung it when we moved in. I thought it was pretty! It has been the bain of my existence...I have tried everything to kill it, including an axe and various vegetation killers. If it wasn't so close to the house, I would set fire to it! It destroys the mortar joints and even grows into the ac unit and through the basement window casings. I hate that stuff!

**RickBeall** · April-02-10, 08:55 AM

I wish there was some way to make the vines less destructive to the mortor, because they would help keep your house cool in the summer. It would be very green technology, a sort of air conditioning.