Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments
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Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments | |
 Lot where the Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments once stood | |
 Interactive map | |
| Location | 227-29 and 237-39 East Palmer Avenue Detroit, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°21′47″N 83°3′55″W / 42.36306°N 83.06528°W |
| Built | 1904 |
| Architect | Almon Clother Varney |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Demolished | November 2005 |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000921[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 21, 1997 |
The Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments were small apartment buildings respectively located at 227-29 and 237-39 East Palmer Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The apartments were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[1] They were demolished in November 2005.[2]
The two structures were well-designed examples of turn-of-the-century apartment houses in Detroit.[3] They were designed by the prolific Almon Clother Varney, a notable architect of apartment buildings in early 20th century Detroit.[3] These two buildings were once owned by one of Michigan's first suffragists, Sarah A. Sampson, who lived in the Lancaster with her husband from 1906 to 1919.[3]
History
The subdivision where these buildings stood was platted in 1878 by Joseph B.H. Bratshaw. in 1882, Bratshaw transferred the property to his daughter Sarah A. Sampson and Susan M. Swales. The land was re-platted in 1888, and in 1903 Swales transferred her interest in the property to Sampson. Sarah A. Sampson was prominent suffragist, and active in politics in Detroit. She was married to George L. Sampson, a merchant and businessman who owned a wholesale grocery house founded by Bratshaw.[4]
In 1901, Sampson hired Almon Clother Varney to design an apartment building; Varney took out a building permit for the lot where the Waumbek eventually stood. It is likely that both the Lancaster and Waumbek were constructed according to Varney's plans, but probably a few years later in 1904. The apartments were named for Lancaster, New Hampshire, where George L. Sampson was born, and the Indian name for the White Mountains of New Hampshire.[4]
Early residents of the Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments included families with some social status, including the Sampsons themselves, who lived in the Lancaster from 1906 until 1919. In 1919, Mrs. Sampson sold the Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments to Robert B. Weaver. The Weaver family owned the apartments until 1961. The two buildings were abandoned as of the mid-1990s,[4] and were demolished in November 2005.[2]
