The Charles C. Trowbridge House is considered the oldest known surviving building in Detroit. It is located at 1380 E. Jefferson Avenue and was built in 1826 on land which was originally part of a French land grant to Charles Chauvin. Charles Trowbridge purchased the property in 1825 and built the home for himself and his wife, Catherine Whipple Sibley, daughter of Detroit’s first appointed mayor, Solomon Sibley.

Originally constructed in a Greek Revival style, the house was downsized and updated with Victorian elements in ca. 1889, including a front bay window. Trowbridge lived in the home for almost 57 years until his death of pneumonia on Apr. 3, 1883. His wife died of apoplexy on Mar. 24, 1880 at the house.

Charles C. Trowbridge was born in Albany, New York, on Dec. 21, 1800 and came to Detroit as a 19-year old. His life closely paralleled Detroit’s growth from frontier settlement to major industrial city. He served as a U.S. Deputy Marshal, explorer, surveyor, and interpreter for Native American languages, and played a key role in early Michigan mapping expeditions. He later became a prominent banker, serving as president of the Bank of Michigan, and was involved in railroads, real estate, and town development. He also served Detroit as alderman and briefly as mayor during the 1834 cholera epidemic, and served on the University of Michigan Board of Regents. He was also deeply active in religious and charitable work as a devoted member of Christ Church.

After his death, the house stayed in the family until the mid-20th century. It was converted to a rooming house in 1936, restored to a single-family residence in 1942, and later adapted for office use. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.