This landmark Greek Revival farmhouse is believed to be the community’s oldest surviving residence. It was built in what is now Grosse Pointe Farms circa 1823 by Detroiter Pierre Provencal on a site near Provencal and Lake Shore Roads. It served as home to Pierre, an Indian agent turned farmer, his wife Euphemia, their daughter, Catherine, and numerous children orphaned by 1830s and 1840s Cholera Epidemics.
After the Provencals died, the farmhouse became a summer cottage for their daughter and her husband, Judge James D. Weir. Later acquired by the Country Club of Detroit, it was soon sold and about 1914 moved to its present Kercheval Avenue location by John Labelle who added the kitchen and dining room. Subsequently, the house served as a grocery, a real estate office and a rental unit. In 1955, Mr. & Mrs. Albert H. Trowbridge acquired the property from the Labelle family.
In 1987, the Grosse Pointe Historical Society purchased the house from Mrs. Francis Robinson (formerly Trowbridge) and, having taken procession in 1993, began an active restoration. With the help of professionals and volunteers, the extensive renovations were complete in late 1996. The front portion of the house with its original wide plank, softwood floors and timber frame is furnished in the style of the 1850s and 1860s while rooms behind suggest the 1910s.
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