Marcus Burrowes


Marcus R. Burrowes was a notable Detroit architect. He served one year in the position of president of the Michigan Society of Architects and was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He was widely known in southeast Michigan, especially during the second and third decades of the twentieth century, for his recreation of English Revival style buildings.

Biography

Burrowes was born in Tonawanda, New York, near Buffalo. Burrowes attended the Denver Art Academy, where he attended lectures and received instruction by architects of note, as well as serving an apprenticeship to a leading architectural firm in Denver. In the 1890s, Burrowes work took him to Canada, where he was employed in the chief architects office of the Dominion at Ottawa, specializing in post office buildings. From Canada, he crossed the Detroit River to Detroit, a place suitable for an entrepreneurial architect like Burrowes.
Initially, Burrowes worked in the offices of Albert Kahn. In 1907, he joined the firm of Stratton and Baldwin for two years, which put him into contact with leading figures in the Arts and Crafts movement in Detroit, including Kahn, William B. Stratton, Frank C. Baldwin, and George Gough Booth. Through Stratton's connections with Mary Chase Perry Stratton of Pewabic Pottery, Burrowes gained exposure to this important Detroit-based firm as well.
However, deciding his future was to be in independent practice, Burrowes formed the firm of Burrowes and Wells with Dalton R. Wells. By 1914, Burrowes was operating under his own name. In 1920 he joined with Frank Eurich, who had received training in the architecture program from Cornell University. Together, Burrowes and Eurich designed many homes in Grosse Pointe and Detroit, as well as several libraries and municipal buildings.
During his lifetime, Burrowes was recognized by his fellow architects. He served as president of the Detroit Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1916 and 1917; vice-president of the Detroit Chapter in 1923, and secretary from 1911 to 1915. He served as president of the Michigan Society of Architects in 1923 and 1924. In 1940, he was made a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and became Emeritus in 1952. He was a member of the Episcopal Church and the Detroit Athletic Club.
Burrowes died at the age of 79 at his home in London, Ontario, which he had retired to eight months previous. His obituary in the Detroit Free Press in 1953, stated how "he designed more than 1,000 structures in and near Detroit during his long career."

Selected commissions

NameCityState/CountryYear DesignedBuiltOther InformationImage-
Hiram Walker and Sons, Customs Office BuildingWalkervilleOntario, Canada1910-
Cranbrook Service Quarters, GaragesBloomfield HillsMichigan1911-
H.R. Dingwell HomeWalkervilleOntario, Canada1912Devonshire Road-
Hiram Walker HomeWalkervilleOntario, Canada1912Devonshire Road-
Cranbrook Greek TheatreBloomfield HillsMichigan1915-1916-
Warren Booth HomeBloomfield HillsMichiganLone Pine Road-
Grace Booth Wallace Home-
Brookside SchoolBloomfield HillsMichiganEvergreen Road-
W.G. Morley HouseBloomfield HillsMichiganLone Pine Road-
David A. Brown HouseDetroitMichiganEast Boston Boulevard-
C.B. Tuttle HouseDetroitMichiganHamilton Drive-
Victor F. Dewey HouseDetroitMichiganHamilton Drive-
A.L. McCarthy HouseDetroitMichiganHamilton Drive-
William Locke HouseDetroitMichiganHamilton Drive-
Percy A. Barnard HouseDetroitMichiganFairway Drive-
Warren Booth HomeDetroitMichigan19222950 Iroquois-
Henry L. Pierson, Sr. HouseDetroitMichigan19152530 Iroquois-
Mrs. Walter Jennings' HomeDetroitMichigan2455 Iroquois-
Herman Strasburg HouseDetroitMichigan19155415 Cass-
2243 IroquoisDetroitMichigan1917-
Newton Annis HomeDetroitMichigan2168 Burns-
1432 BurnsDetroitMichigan-
Miss Jeannette McMillan Liggett HomeDetroitMichigan2501 Burns-
S. Kemp Pittman, Sr. HomeDetroitMichigan19121782 Seminole-
2454 SeminoleDetroitMichigan-
Paul Gray HouseDetroitMichigan19101710 Seminole-
Ralph Harmon Booth HomeGrosse PointeMichigan1924315 Washington-
Berrien C. Eaton HomeGrosse PointeMichiganBishop Road-
Edward S. Caulkins HomeGrosse PointeMichiganHendrie Lane-
H. Robert Stoepel HomeGrosse PointeMichigan-
L.T. Bulkley HomeGrosse PointeMichiganEdgemont Park-
Charles B. Crouse Home, Cadieux and MaumeeGrosse PointeMichigan-
Edward G. Burlage HomeGrosse PointeMichiganHarvard Road-
Henry T. Cole HomeGrosse PointeMichiganLakeland-
Addition to Palmer Sherman HouseFarmingtonMichiganFarmington Road-
BurbrookFarmingtonMichigan1924residence of Marcus R. Burrowes, 24300 Locust Drive -
David Gray HouseFarmington HillsMichiganin present-day Heritage Park -
Windy HillFarmingtonMichiganKirby White House, Eleven Mile Road-
Cottage, Biddestone Woods estateFarmingtonMichigan1937-
C.W. HubbellMilfordMichigan19231937
Wayne County Training SchoolNorthville TownshipMichigan1923
Jacob Seigel HouseDetroitMichigan1917191851 W Boston blvd

;Libraries
;Schools and Civic Complexes
;Starr Commonwealth, outside Albion, Michigan
Design of 11 buildings and campus landscape plan