Palmer Woods Historical Archives

1530 Wellesley Drive

Original Owner: I.H. Nie
Architect: Richard Marr
Style: Mediterranean
Built: 1923

Boasting a lovely conservatory that enhances its unique appearance, this stately Mediterranean style villa was designed by Richard Marr, Detroit’s famed “architect to millionaires” in 1923 for I.H. Nie, an auto executive at Fisher Body Corp., and his wife Madeline. Other owners have included the founder of Federal Department Stores, the owner of Sam’s Cut Rate Drugs, and members of the B. Siegel Clothiers. Exterior landscaping illuminates the gardens and the newly installed fountain statue and brick walled yard and limestone patios in the rear.

Architect

Richard Marr

Richard Marr was born in Detroit in August 1886. After leaving to study architecture at Harvard, graduating in 1911, Marr then spent two years working in Boston. In 1913, he returned to Detroit to work for renowned architect George D. Mason. Two years later, in 1915, he opened his own office, specializing in residential projects […]
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Owner

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