Huntington Woods house dating to Great Depression is for sale for the first time in decades

An Oakland County house dating back literally to the onset of the Great Depression is up for sale for the first time in decades. 

Owner Craig Stuart and his wife, Jackie, recently retired with plans to relocate to northern Idaho. They just listed their fully updated Huntington Woods home measuring about 2,700 square feet, including three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. 

The home dates back to 1929 and carries an asking price of $1.075 million.

“It’s been 29 years of a lot of work,” Craig Stuart, a retired real estate appraiser, told Crain’s of the upgrades they’ve made. “We’ve literally touched every square inch.”

Stuart said he has the original architectural documents for the Tudor-style home, which are stamped with the date October 29, 1929 — the day of the infamous stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. 

A neighboring house is nearly identical and appears to have been built by the same person, Stuart said. Most of the other homes in the neighborhood — west of Woodward Avenue and just north of the Detroit Zoo — are ranches and bungalow-style homes from the post-World War ll era.

“Nothing is undone in this home,” reads the listing copy for the home. “It is a modern showpiece with all the original architectural integrity intact and the updates have enhanced the original beauty.”

Upgrades began the day the Stuarts took possession of the home, according to Craig Stuart. He said the initial project was restoring a full-brick fireplace that had been drywalled over. He also tore down an attached two-car garage in the rear of the house to build a great room. 

The Stuarts have done two kitchen renovations in their time owning the house and the most recent update includes mixed woods cabinetry with quartzite counters and backsplash, GE Monogram appliances and radiant floor heat under limestone floors, according to the listing.

The backyard “oasis” contains a built-in exterior fireplace on a raised patio and spa. 

Listed earlier this week, showings for the home began Friday. Realtor Shondell Patterson said it makes for “one of the most beautiful houses that I’ve ever listed” in 24 years selling real estate. 

“It is unique in Huntington Woods to find such an old house that has been returned to its original beauty,” Patterson, with Birmingham-based Crain Homes, wrote in an email to Crain’s. “And improved upon while keeping with the integrity of a 1929 Tudor. My appointments have filled to capacity with one showing after another.”

Stuart said that based upon his previous work as an appraiser and a decades-long resident of the area, he’s expecting a full-priced offer in short order. 

“I feel that the quality of the craftsmanship that went into it, the square footage and based upon what I’m familiar with in this market, it seems reasonably well supported,” Stuart said. 

Editor’s note: Crain Homes is owned by Ashley Crain, who is married to Crain Communications Inc. CEO KC Crain.

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