Helen Newberry Nurses Home

The Helen Newberry Nurses Home is a residential building made of red-and-brown brick with a slate-covered roof and a three-story limestone entry section in the middle. After a major renovation in 2011, it was converted into 28 apartment units while keeping its original architectural details intact.

The residence was built in 1898 with funds from Helen Handy Newberry and housed nursing students from Grace Hospital Training School until 1968. Its creation in the late 1800s reflected the expansion of professional nursing education in Detroit during that era.

The building included dedicated spaces where nursing students gathered for evening classes and social events, showing how education and community life went together in those days. You can see that the residence was more than just a place to sleep - it was a hub for students to learn and connect.

The building is located on East Willis Avenue in the Midtown neighborhood and is easy to find. Keep in mind that it now contains private apartments, so interior access is typically not available to visitors.

It is one of the few surviving examples of specialized residential buildings from that era created specifically for medical professionals. The structure demonstrates how institutions in the 1800s built dedicated housing for their workforce.

Location: Detroit

Architects: Elijah E. Myers

GPS coordinates: 42.35208,-83.05875

Latest update: December 14, 2025 11:22