Attorneys, Real Estate Men, and Financiers of the Boston-Edison Historic District
Frank W. Blair
Frank Blair was born in 1870 in Troy, Michigan, and educated in Birmingham. He worked at the Exchange Bank in Birmingham for a time, and then joined the office of the Auditor General for the State of Michigan. In 1905, he was appointed the state bank examiner, but resigned that year to becaome auditor of the State Savings Bank in Detroit. In 1908, he was elected to the presidency of the Union Trust Company, then one of the largest financial institutions in the city.
Union Trust prospered under Blair's forward-thinking leadership (he was one of the very first financiers to underwrite commercial aviation projects). In 1928, Union Trust merged with the National Bank of Commerce, forming the largest financial institution in Detroit with Blair at the helm. The newly merged company needed a flagship building. Blair hired young architest Wirt Roland and charged him to convey the modern, warm, and trustworthy sensibilities of Union Trust. Roland designed a striking building making extensive use of color, both inside and out.
Unfortunately, the Depression hit Union Trust hard, and the institution failed in 1932. One (untimately unsuccessful) attempt at reorganization was the short-lived Union Guardian Trust Company, which gave its name to Blair and Roland's creation: the Guardian Building is now a National Historic Landmark. Frank W. Blair lived at 1716 W. Boston.
Read about the Guardian Building at the Detroit News or Detroit 1701.
Clarence M. Burton
Clarence Burton was born in California in 1853; he grew up in Hastings, MI, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a law degree in 1874. He began his career in Detroit as an examiner of titles in the Wayne County abstract office. He was a trustee of the Michigan Savings Bank, president of the Independent Telephone Co., and president of the Burton Abstract & Title Co.
Clarence Burton is now probably better known for his historical research and pursuits. During his lifetime, he amassed a library of tens of thousands of books, pamphlets, and manuscripts relating to the history of Detroit, of Michigan, and of the old Northwest. Burton donated his collection to the Detroit Public Library in 1915, and today it forms the core of the Burton Historical Collection. Burton wrote numerous books and pamphlets on the history of Detroit, including The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922; A Sketch of the Life of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, Founder of Detroit; and In the Footsteps of Cadillac.
Clarence M. Burton lived at 121 W. Boston Boulevard.
Visit the Burton Historical Collection, or read a book about Clarence Burton.
Frank H. Goddard
Frank Goddard was born in 1866 in Connecticut. At the age of 16, he came to Detroit and apprenticed as a mason, working for his uncle. In 1891, he became a partner with his uncle, and then took over the business entirely after his uncle's retirement. He founded the mason contracting firm Chandler and Goddard, and, in 1909, starter F. H. Goddard Co, an general contracting firm. As a general contractor, Goddard built some of the grandest homes in the city of Detroit, including Henry Ford's home on Edison Avenue. Frank Goddard lived at 751 W. Boston Boulevard.
Henry M. Kelly
Henry Kelly was born in Ottawa, IL, in 1865. He studied law and passed the bar in 1891. He stayed in Ottawa in private practice until 1923, when he successfully defended General Motors in a lawsuit. GM was so impressed with his work they asked him to represent them in Michigan; Kelly accepted their offer and moved to the Boston-Edison district of Detroit. There, he established the law firm of Kelly, Kelly, and Kelly, with his sons Harry (future governor of Michigan) and Emmett. Henry M. Kelly lived at 2465 Chicago until his death in 1946.
Emil C. Pokorny
Emil Pokorny was born in Detroit in 1877. He left school after the eighth grade to become a sheet metal former; however, he continued his studies in night school. In 1902, with the encouragement of his wife Ida, he entered Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University), graduating in 1907 with a degree in mechanical engineering. After leaving school, Pokorny spent time as a HVAC engineer, then went into business for himself as a builder, building homes, small apartment buildings, and stores. Emil Pokorny lived at 819 Edison.
Hartley Rowe
Hartley Rowe was born in 1882 in Goodland, IN. He attended Purdue University, graduating in 1904 with a degree in electrical engineering. From 1908 to 1917, he worked on the Panama Canal project. After leaving Panama, he was recruited by Lockwood Greene, an engineering firm, to head their local office in Detroit. He later joined the United Fruit Company as chief engineer, eventually becoming vice president and director of the company. During WWII, Rowe took part in the Manhattan Project, helping with the transition of the atomic bomb from research to production. In 1946, President Truman appointed Rowe (along with Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi) to the General Advisory Committee to the Atomic Energy Commission, where Rowe (along with Oppenheimer and most other commission members) argued against the production of the H-bomb. Hartley Rowe lived at 875 Edison.
Eugene Sloman
Eugene Sloman was born in Detroit in 1866. As a young man, he worked for a time for his brother's firm in Nebraska, which manufactured leather goods and saddles. In 1886, he returned to Detroit and entered the real estate business. He was chairman of the St Clair Heights Syndicate, an organization that platted the St. Clair Heights subdivision. In 1904, Sloman and some associates formed the Seamless Steel Bathtub Company, of which Sloman was vice-president. Eugene Sloman lined at 155 Chicago Boulevard.
Edward W. Voigt
Edward Voigt was born in Germany in 1844. He moved with his father to America in 1854, living briefly in Toledo, Chicago, and Milwaukee, before settling in Madison Wisconsin. Edward Voigt's father opened a small brewery in Madison, and Edward attended the local schools as well as the University of Wisconsin. In 1864, Voigt's father closed the brewery and moved to Detroit, there to establish another brewery. Edward, meanwhile, sought his fortune in California, but eventually moved to Detroit to work for his father.
In 1871, Edward Voigt's father returned to Germany, and Edward took over the management of the brewery. Under his leadership, sales increased, and he eventually bought the business. With his profits, Voigt invested in a number of ventures. He was one of the founders of the Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit in 1886 (where he hired Henry Ford). He also built the NorthWestern Electric Railway on Grand River Road, was president of the bridge company that built the bridge between Grosse Ile and Wyandotte in 1912, and was president of the Miles Theater Company.
In particular, Voigt owned about 150 acres of land on Woodward Avenue, four miles from the city's center. He operated the land as a farm, but as the city expanded, Voigt sensed an opportunity. In the 1890s, he developed the property into the Voigt Park Subdivision, laying out Boston Boulevard, Chicago Boulevard, Longfellow and Edison from Woodward to Hamilton, as well as the surrounding streets of Atkinson, Calvert, and Glynn Court. In addition, he donated a large parcel of land, now known as Voigt Park, to the city of Detroit.
Read more about Edward W. Voigt.