19551 Burlington Drive
Overview
This meticulously restored 8,000-square-foot Tudor Revival residence (1925) stands as one of Palmer Woods’ architectural crown jewels. Designed by Leonard Willeke—whose portfolio includes landmarks in Indian Village and Capitol Park—the home seamlessly blends historic preservation with contemporary luxury.
The restoration honors original craftsmanship throughout: soaring ceilings, intricate plasterwork, rare German silver fixtures, and hand-hewn wood paneling have been painstakingly preserved or authentically recreated. The spectacular 1,000-square-foot great room serves as the home’s centerpiece, featuring cathedral ceilings, dramatic wood beams, elevated walkways, and walls of arched, leaded-glass windows.
Seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms provide generous accommodation, including a reimagined primary suite with spa bath and dressing room. Modern systems—central air, updated kitchen appliances, second-floor laundry—have been discretely integrated without compromising historic integrity. Original elements shine everywhere: the functioning century-old refrigerator, custom-milled replacement trim matching lost originals, and hand-restored hardware on every door.
Set on professionally landscaped grounds with mature trees, private gardens, and entertaining spaces, the brick and half-timbered exterior with slate roof exemplifies Tudor style at its finest. This is more than renovation—it’s a masterful resurrection of 1920s craftsmanship, ready for its next century.
Exterior Construction
This residence stands alone in Palmer Woods as the only home featuring complete stone construction. The exterior showcases Kentucky schist, specially quarried and transported to Detroit for this project. The design aimed to capture the Cotswold cottage aesthetic—a challenging architectural style that experienced brief popularity in the 1920s. The movement’s reach extended to Henry Ford, who went so far as to purchase, dismantle, ship, and reconstruct an authentic Cotswold cottage from England on his Grosse Pointe estate.
Flint Faience Tile
Flint Faience tile, featured throughout the first floor and sections of the second floor, is a hallmark of Palmer Woods homes from this era. Produced between 1921 and 1933, these tiles originated from an innovative use of excess kiln capacity at GM’s Champion spark plug factory in Flint. The venture ended when increasing automotive production demands required the full factory capacity. While casual observers might mistake Flint Faience for Detroit’s famous Pewabic tile, collectors and preservation experts readily distinguish between the two, noting distinct characteristics in glaze, texture, and design.
For detailed company history, see: “When GM Was in the Decorative Ceramic Tile Business,” MotorCities National Heritage Area, 2024.
Kitchen Configuration
This space tells a story of evolving domestic life. What was in 1925 a combination of discrete service rooms—pantry, storage, closets, and likely dining area for household staff— was transformed during a 1990s renovation into the open configuration you see today. While the recent renovation updated every surface, fixture, and finish to contemporary standards, it maintained historical integrity where possible. The White Oak flooring, though not original, honors the home’s heritage by replicating the exact wood species that craftsmen would have installed nearly a century ago. The original floors, sadly, had deteriorated beyond salvage.
Chrysler-Koppin Refrigeration System
This built-in Chrysler-Koppin refrigerator represents a distinctive feature of the era. While similar units can be found in Detroit’s historic neighborhoods, they’re particularly prevalent in Palmer Woods. The neighborhood’s development aligned perfectly with the dawn of refrigeration and air conditioning technology. Though many original units have been decommissioned or converted to simple iceboxes due to maintenance costs, this example remains fully operational. It has been retrofitted with modern refrigeration components, replacing the original belt- driven ammonia compressor system that would have been housed in the basement.
Wood and Millwork
The home’s extensive woodwork—from hand-hewn dining room panels to great room beams and balcony, solid exterior doors, and all interior trim— showcases Michigan white oak, locally abundant during the construction period. Nearly all original woodwork survives, meticulously cleaned, stripped, refinished, and restored. While a few irreparable sections required recreation, these replacements blend seamlessly with the historic fabric—try finding them!
Hardware
Century-old metal hardware throughout the home has been meticulously hand-restored to its original luster. The butler’s pantry showcases a stunning nickel silver (German silver) sink, revived through hours of careful sanding, polishing, and buffing. Original door hardware—knobs, latches, locks, and hinges—received the same painstaking treatment. Many door fixtures feature German silver, an alloy compositionally similar to brass, adding to the home’s cohesive metalwork palette.
Modern Amenities
While honoring the home’s historic character, strategic modern updates ensure contemporary comfort. The primary bedroom suite represents the most significant departure from the 1925 layout, combining multiple original bedrooms to create a walk-in closet, spa-inspired bath, dual vanity, and generous sleeping quarters.
The crown jewel of mechanical updates is the fully integrated central AC system—an extraordinary accomplishment given that AC retrofits typically require destructive interventions incompatible with historic preservation. The comprehensive renovation provided rare access to concealed spaces, enabling installation of a high- velocity system in the third-floor attic. This system’s two-inch vents, visible throughout the ceiling surfaces, deliver conditioned air to every room in the house
All plumbing has been replaced while preserving period- appropriate fixtures wherever possible, and electrical systems have been upgraded to current safety standards, including most light fixtures and wiring throughout.
Help Along The Way
This project would not have been possible without help from some of the city’s most skilled craftsmen and women. Projects like this draw from a community full of passionate and experienced trades who each brought not just technical expertise but a deep reverence for preserving Detroit’s architectural heritage. Their willingness to problem-solve and to go the extra mile makes all the difference.
There are too many to name them all, but below is a brief list some of the folks that went above and beyond during this project:
Kathleen Gordon: Furniture staging and arrangement. Kathleen, Muffy, and the rest of the team tackled a formidable task getting this place filled up and looking great.
Dustin Chitwood – GC Solutions: General contracting, finish carpentry, tile, masonry, you name it! Dustin, Gary, and the rest of the crew touched about every surface
in this house.
Melissa & Robert Jasper – Raven Restoration: Their specialty is window restoration, buttheir capabilities go far beyond that! Richard Mack – RJM Refrigeration When many others shied away, Richard agreed eagerly to bring the
built-in Chrysler-Koppin fridge back to life.
Matt Bell – Bell Renovations: Hardwood flooring installation. He probably regrets saying yes but a huge thanks and also huge thumbs up to Matt for his work here. Old homes are always going to be a challenge, especially this one.
Rex Boyce Floor Service: Hardwood floor finishing & refinishing/ Beautiful work, whether new floors or century old refinishing.
Erich Wasner – Authentic Restoration: Erich has experience with just about every aspect of historic renovation but really excels at historic plumbing. The challenges
here are plentiful, and Erich has the problem-solving skills to get it done. He is also passionate about preserving history, which can be
a rare trait!
Stone Restoration Service: The crew here did a fantastic job, cleaning, stripping, and revitalizing the thousands of square feet of Flint tile throughout the house. What a difference!
Pete Bommarito – Lighting Specialist: Pete did a great job sourcing new lights throughout the house,especially with the budget I had him on! 248-762-4186
And special thanks to Dwight Biermann for the finish carpentry expertise! I suspect Dwight wants to keep a low profile after what we put him through on this project