The McLaughlin House was designed by Nettleton & Kahn and built in 1899 for Joseph R. McLaughlin, a lawyer and co-founder of the McLaughlin Brothers Real Estate Company.

In 1910, it was purchased by Joseph L. Hudson, the prominent Detroit retailer behind Hudson’s Department Store. Records show that the architectural firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls was hired to remodel the residence for J. L. Hudson.

Unfortunately, Mr. Hudson lived in the home only briefly before his death on July 5, 1912. His nephew, Robert H. Tannahill, along with Hudson’s youngest sister, the widowed Eliza Hudson Clay, remained in the house until the family sold the property in the 1920s.

Based on an article of the Nov. 2, 1916 issue of the Detroit Evening News, the house was the site of the wedding of Edsel Bryant Ford to Eleanor Lowthian Clay on Nov. 1, 1916.

The home stands as a refined example of the Shingle Style, blending elements from both Queen Anne and Colonial Revival architecture. Its asymmetrical façade, irregular floor plan, and horizontal division into brick and shingle bands reflect Queen Anne influences, while the multiple gables and dormers draw from America’s Colonial past. The unifying feature is its continuous wooden shingle surface, which ties the composition together in a sophisticated yet understated way.

The House has been home to the Home Visitors of Mary since ca. 1998.