The historic Beaubien House in downtown Detroit, previously owned and occupied by the American Institute of Architects of Michigan, has been sold to Optima Aegidius Group, a German real estate development company, which is seeking a new tenant to lease the house. The price was not disclosed.
The 5,000-square-foot house, also known as the Charles Trombley House, is located at 553 E. Jefferson Ave., across from the Renaissance Center. The home, constructed in 1851, is a brick townhouse. Notable families who have lived in the home include the McClelland, Cicotte, Whipple, Chapoton, Campion, and Beecher families.
The Michigan Society of Architects (now the American Institute of Architects of Michigan) purchased the four-level house in 1982, and initiated the process to achieve designation for the house on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was marked as a Michigan Historic Site in 1975.
The American Institute of Architects of Michigan will move its headquarters next month to a building in Detroit’s Midtown district, located at 4219 Woodward Ave., near Hopcat and The Majestic Theatre. The Michigan Architectural Foundation, a group affiliated with the American Institute of Architects of Michigan, was also headquartered in the home.
Randall Book, executive vice president, and Patrich Jett, vice president of Southfield-based Colliers International represented the American Institute of Architects of Michigan in the sale.
