2024 Owosso Historic Home Tour
Join the Owosso Historical Commission for a stroll down memory lane as we continue a tradition that includes over 40 years of hosting historic home tours. This self-guided tour will begin at Owosso City Hall at 301 W Main Street and will offer attendees the chance to step inside and admire the unique architecture and timeless beauty of the community's historic houses. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the rich history and elegant craftsmanship that Owosso has to offer.
This year’s tour will include the following homes and historic structures:
Teich Home: The owner of this 1960s colonial on Alta Vista Drive enjoyed a 45-year career as a well-known interior designer in the Detroit area. This home represents his eclectic taste as well as his interest in collecting art and curiosities.
Durany Home: This late Victorian home on N. Washington Street was built circa 1898. The garage was built from bricks that were originally part of Washington Street and rumor has it a room in the basement was a speakeasy during prohibition.
Easlick Home: This beautiful home on W. Oliver Street was built in 1917 by Alvin M. Bentley, Jr. and is now owned by Adam and Sarah Eastlick. The home features many fine details such as a butler pantry, wood paneling, and silver sconces throughout the first floor.
Greenway Home: Located on Curwood Castle Drive, this home was built in 1905 for Fred B. and Martha Woodard. The interior of this home is filled with exotic woods obtained by Fred Woodard from the Woodard Lumber Yard. Elaine and Jon Greenway purchased it in 1989. Elaine continues to work on her home, calling it a work in progress.
Gould House: The Amos Gould House is undergoing renovations and will not be open for the tour but the new owners invite you to stop by and learn more about their plans for restoring this home. The historic, made in Owosso, sleigh and carriage owned by the Historic Commission will be on display on the Gould House lawn along with antique cars.
Woodworth Apartments: Speaking of a work in progress, the Woodworth Apartments are located over the Fifth Third Bank Building in Downtown Owosso. Once a general store and later occupied by the Masonic Temple, this building is currently being renovated and the owners cannot wait to show off their progress.
Owosso Masonic Lodge #81 was granted it's charter on January 10th, 1856 . They moved from the Fifth Third Bank building to the current location on the corner of North Washington and Mason St. in 1926 and look forward to giving tours of their historic lodge.
Argus Press: The Argus Press story begins in 1854 with the establishment of Owosso Newspapers. By 1919, the newspaper had outgrown its quarters and the owner bought this current building where four generations of the Campbell family have been actively involved in newspaper publication.
Owosso Armory: This building opened in 1915 with great fanfare and immediately started recruiting and training soldiers for the impending conflict in Europe. During World War I, Company M deployed from the Armory for France and continued as a military location until 2007. In 2018, a $5.3 million restoration project was completed, maintaining many of the historic elements.
Lebowsky Center: This Neoclassical theater was originally constructed in 1926 and was devastated by a fire in 2007. With great effort and investment from the community, funding was raised to restore the structure. The Lebowsky Center is excited to take Home Tour visitors on a backstage tour.
Episcopal Church: Built in 1859 this is the second oldest church in Owosso and the oldest under the same denomination. Originally constructed in the Romanesque style, in 1892 the church was doubled in size and the Gothic style was introduced. Docents will be on hand to tell the story of the stained glass windows, bell, and light fixtures donated by some of Owosso's most influential residents.
Curwood Castle: James Oliver Curwood - Author, Conservationist, Visionary, Iconoclast, Imaginer, and Movie Pioneer - built Curwood Castle to serve as his writing studio. Today Curwood Castle is owned and managed by the Owosso Historical Commission and serves as a museum.
Paymaster Building: This 1880 Gothic Revival building originally stood almost directly across Main Street from its current location amid the huge lumberyard and factories of the Woodard Manufacturing Company. Today, the Paymaster Building is owned and managed by the Owosso Historical Commission and showcases Owosso's manufacturing past.
Comstock Cabin: This one-room log cabin was the first permanent residence in the settlement that became Owosso. It was the first home of Elias Comstock and his wife Lucy Lamson Comstock. Over the years, additions were made to the home, and in the 1920s when the house was scheduled for demolition, they discovered this perfectly preserved primitive cabin inside.
