Bay City — Burbridge House is a prime example of the city’s architectural and industrial legacy and a reminder of its economic decline.
The residence at 1403 Fifth Street is named after craftsman Benjamin Burbridge and a testament to his success and eye for design. My friend Aaron owns the residence, which shows the fine craftsmanship of the city’s glory days.
During the mid-to-late 1800s, Michigan’s abundant natural resources fueled booming industries. Bay City, strategically located along the Saginaw River, became a critical hub for manufacturing, shipbuilding, and logging.
Timber harvested from the northern forests was floated downriver, milled in Bay City’s sawmills, and shipped across the country to build America’s growing cities. Meanwhile, shipyards, foundries, and other industries flourished, making the city an economic powerhouse.
Of course, master craftsmen and architects also shaped Bay City’s identity. These craftsmen and architects turned the wealth of industrial magnates into architectural masterpieces, creating Victorian, Queen Anne, and Italianate homes that still grace Bay City’s historic districts.
As neighborhoods expanded, each one became a reflection of its builder’s ambitions, with streets lined with ornately detailed homes showcasing various interpretations of the various aesthetics.
Some featured gingerbread trim, others boasted expansive bay windows and decorative gables. Many residences have hand-carved wood paneling, highlighting the incredible artistry of local woodworkers.
The Benjamin Burbridge Residence
Originally platted in 1866, the land remained vacant until 1883, when Benjamin Burbridge, a prominent mason, built the residence that still stands today.
According to the Bay City Tribune’s annual listing of building improvements published on January 3, 1884, the Burbridge residence was valued at approximately $5,000.
Architecturally, the residence is distinguished by its brick exterior, trimmed in stone, which sets it apart from many of Bay City’s wood-frame homes.
Special design elements, such as stone hoods above the windows and doors, chimney pots, and bay windows, add to the home’s unique character.
Notably, the exterior features ceramic tiles adorned with an oak leaf pattern—fireplace tiles that reflect Burbridge’s additional business in fireplace mantels, grates, and tiles.
Comparing the existing home to an illustration from the Bay City Tribune’s special November 1887 edition reveals several alterations over the years, including the removal of cast iron cresting along the roofline, the porch between the bay windows on Fifth Street, and the enlargement of the entry porch.
The home presents an Italianate appearance, though it displays a variety of angled and multi-sided planar surfaces on all its facades.
Almost every surface at both the first- and second-story levels features tall, narrow one-over-one double-hung sash windows in stone enframements, marked by narrow sills and carved lintels.
Though Burbridge only lived in the home for a short time, it is most famously associated with Arthur Plum, the owner of Plum Insurance Agency, who purchased the property in 1911 and lived there until 1922.
The home is now included in the Center Avenue Historic District, recognized for its historical and architectural significance in the district’s original application.
Beauty In the Details
The residence boasts special architectural details such as a tri-sided bay on the home’s west face, which terminates in a secondary gable end with a denticulated cornice.
There is also a tri-sided bay at the southwest corner’s first-floor level, featuring a low pediment-styled roof.
A delicate wood porch on the east facade displays a wood grille fascia and slender columns. Perhaps most striking is the romantically elaborate roofline that echoes the complexity of the facades below.
And if you’re wondering what all of that means, don’t worry—you’re not alone.
Step inside, and the home becomes a gallery of fine craftsmanship. The fireplace is a showpiece adorned with stunning ceramic tiles and delicate embossed imagery. It features sunburst motifs, scrolling flourishes, and a lion’s head medallion that commands attention.
Above interior entryways, hand-carved woodwork takes the form of intricate spindles and beveled trim, giving depth and texture to transitional spaces.
These decorative over-door features create visual separation while still allowing light to travel between rooms, marrying form and function. The detailing is so precise it feels less like trim and more like sculpture.
Even the doorknobs offer a glimpse into a time when even security hardware was made to be unique and beautiful.
At the edge of the property, a carriage stone still rests at the curb—one of the few that hasn’t been removed or forgotten. It’s a quiet reminder that horse-drawn carriages once pulled up to these grand homes.
From Mansions to Apartments
As the local economy faltered, maintaining large estates with such details became increasingly unsustainable. With fortunes dwindling and a changing world outside their doors, these grand residences no longer made sense as single-family homes.
For some homeowners, the only option was to sell or repurpose their estates.
In doing so, these magnificent houses were subdivided into boarding houses or apartments, providing much-needed affordable housing for a city in decline.
The transformation from opulent mansions to modest rental properties is a bittersweet reminder of Bay City’s lost past.
What were once grand entryways are now shared by multiple families, and majestic rooms, once filled with luxury and refinement, are reduced to cramped living spaces.
Ornate moldings have been hidden behind partition walls, and glittering chandeliers have become an afterthought as new, functional fixtures have been installed.
Although many of Bay City’s historic homes have been converted into apartments, a few, such as the Burbridge residence, have managed to remain intact.
These homes are reminders of the past, and their stories continue to be told.
Landen Taylor is a musician and explorer living in Bay City. Follow him on Instagram @landoisliving.
