This imposing residence, near the University of Michigan Arboretum, was built in 1927 for James Inglis as part of an exclusive subdivision on the eastern edge of town. It was situated on the rear acreage of a farmstead that had been in the Inglis family since 1901. It reputedly cost $250,000 to build and was designed to resemble a French Chateau. Nestled away from the bustle of town, the Inglis House today is owned by the University and is used as a guest house and reception center for visiting dignitaries.

The Tudor mansion, called Inglis House, has been owned by the University since 1951. It was willed to the University by Detroit industrialist James Inglis, who had no direct connection to the school. After sitting idle for three years, the mansion was converted into the official University guesthouse and a residence for off-campus regents in 1954. Since then, scores of alumni, speakers and dignitaries, including the Dalai Lama, have spent the night in the slate-roofed mansion overlooking the Huron River Valley.

Architect Lilburn "Woody" Woodworth designed an English-style house of stones and irregular bricks, with a slate roof and elegant accoutrements. Though large (twelve rooms on four levels), it worked well as a family home. Inglis's niece, travel writer Carol Spicer (daughter of brother Will), remembers the house as the natural gathering place for the extended family. She recalls "lots of jokes and laughter in the house."

 

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