A burgundy duplex sits vacant in Detroit’s East Village neighborhood, but one of the country’s oldest pottery organizations is now working to bring it back to life.
After 120 years in the city, Pewabic Pottery is broadening its commitment to the east side with the purchase of the house behind its studio and store on Jefferson Avenue. Plans are still being discussed but might include turning the property into a home for artists in residence, said Pewabic Director Steve McBride.
Founded in 1903, Pewabic Pottery is known for the iridescent glazes on its artwork and tiles. Its location on E. Jefferson Avenue contains a pottery and architectural tile studio and a ceramic arts education center that brings in visitors from around the world.
The nonprofit’s store features handcrafted ceramics from more than 30 artists, and the organization offers community art and educational programs, such as tile glazing workshops, pottery classes, second Saturday tours, exhibits and school programs.
McBride told BridgeDetroit that Pewabic wanted to buy the house because it owns five of the six lots between Jefferson and the nearby alley, and the house is situated in the middle. Pewabic purchased the house at 1433 Hurlbut for $230,000 in 2021, according to a Wayne County property deed.
“It was a long-term goal and we were able to do that,” McBride said. “That allowed us to start planning for how we’re going to renovate the grounds on the campus.”
Another option, he said, is using part of the space as a site for hosting exhibits.
“That’s one of the questions that we have. What will we be able to use it for?,” McBride said.
This old house
In the neighborhood for more than 100 years, the Hurlbut house predates the founding of Pewabic. The residence was constructed in 1900 and was owned by William Sherwood, said Pewabic Education Director Annie Dennis. Sherwood was a businessman who founded the Buick-Sherwood Manufacturing Company in 1893 with partner David Buick. Buick formed his namesake company six years later.
In the early 1900s, Buick-Sherwood on E. Jefferson rebranded to Sherwood Brass Works. Sherwood’s machine shop became a popular source for Ford Motor Co., the Dodge Brothers Company and others in the auto industry. In the 1920s, Sherwood Brass Works teamed up with entrepreneur Chris Smith, developing the first seawater pumps for marine inboard engines.
Today, the Sherwood brand is part of water treatment company Pentair.
Sherwood lived at the Hurlbut house with his wife and four children, Dennis said. McBride added that each side of the duplex had four bedrooms and one bathroom.
“The Sherwood family would have lived on one side and used the other side as income,” Dennis said.
By the time Sherwood died in 1939, he had moved to Grosse Pointe Park, according to an obituary in the Detroit Free Press.
A leader in the arts and crafts movement
While Sherwood was raising a family and growing a business, Pewabic was beginning to take shape. Artist and educator Mary Chase Perry Stratton and Horace Caulkins, a dental supplier and kiln manufacturer, co-founded the operation, originally working on China painting before pivoting to pottery.
The pair started out in the Ransom Gillis House in Brush Park, one of the oldest homes in Detroit. Stratton and Caulkins relocated to the current house in 1907. The Tudor Revival home was designed by architect William Buck Stratton and Frank Baldwin, who took inspiration from the area the Caulkins family hailed from – the Kent district in England.
As Detroit became a major part of the Industrial Revolution with the auto industry, the Arts and Crafts Movement became a counter-response with people appreciating the importance of handmade goods over mass production.
Pewabic’s custom tiles can be seen in private homes and public buildings around Detroit like the Detroit Institute of Arts, Little Caesars Arena, Belle Isle Aquarium and Wayne State University.
After Stratton died in 1961, she gifted Pewabic to Michigan State University, where it was used as an educational facility. In 1981, the Pewabic Society took ownership of the building and turned it into a nonprofit.
Pewabic’s future
McBride said Pewabic began acquiring the lots surrounding its property during the 1990s or early 2000s. The nonprofit added a parking lot and purchased a property on Cadillac Boulevard which became the organization’s administrative offices.
He said he’s excited to begin this new chapter of Pewabic by renovating the house, along with the studio and administration office, especially after the organization experienced some water damage last year.
“There’s a lot of progress happening in the east side and so, we’re really excited to be a part of that,” McBride said.
Added Dennis: “I think we all recognize that it feels like a special time here but it also feels like something that’s been naturally growing here for many decades. We just feel honored to pick up the reins of all this progress that’s been happening here for many years.”
This story was very interesting and I loved learning the history of both the house and the Pottery beginnings. Thank you for sharing! It would be nice to see what the inside of the house looked like. From the outside picture it looks huge!