Arts & Life

Detroit Stories

On this page you'll find all of our stories on the city of Detroit.Suggest a story here and follow our podcast here.

Ulysses S. Grant once lived in Detroit, and now there’s an effort to save his home

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published May 1, 2018 at 4:35 PM EDT

1 of 5

A hand-tinted postcard, evidence of the house's importance to the city 100 years ago.

2 of 5

The home at the turn of the 20th century, when it was still part of a neighborhood.

3 of 5

The house decorated in mourning by the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) at the time of Grant’s death.";

Courtesy of the Michigan History Center

4 of 5

The house as it would have looked when the Grants lived there.

Courtesy of the Michigan History Center

5 of 5

The Sanborn insurance map, showing the original location of Ulysses S. Grant's house at 253 E. Fort Street.

Courtesy of the Michigan History Center

There's been a lot of talk about reviving and restoring Michigan Central – the once-proud train station in Detroit's Corktown.

There's another piece of history that needs some of that attention: the Detroit house where the man who won the Civil War for the Union and then went on to become president once lived.

Ulysses S. Grant lived in Detroit when he was a young lieutenant. And, after years of neglect, there's an effort afoot to save Grant's home.

Dan Austin of HistoricDetroit.org joined Stateside today to explain when Grant lived in Detroit, how his house wound up at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, and what's planned for saving and restoring Grant's house.

Support for Arts and Culture coverage comes in part from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)