Historic Farmington Hills home listed for sale

FARMINGTON HILLS — Until recently, real estate agent Kate Chelovich had never had an opportunity to list a historic home for sale.

That changed on Nov. 22, when the Henry C. Bach home, located on Ardmore Drive in Farmington Hills, hit the market.

According to an inscription that was erected by the Farmington Hills Historic District Commission in 2019, the colonial-revival-style home with Asian influences was the residence of Henry and May Bach. 

Henry was the vice president in charge of sales for the Great Lake Land Corp., according to the inscription. 

The house was originally an outbuilding on the farm of Isaac Bond and was relocated to the site in 1926 on a new foundation and designed by Emily Butterfield to be an “estate” house for the Bach family, who also operated a tree nursery on the site and the adjacent five lots they owned at the time. 

The house retains many original features including decorative plaster and millwork details, according to the inscription.

According to Zillow, the home is 3,790 square feet, with four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

It didn’t take long for the home to sell, as Chelovich said that an offer was accepted Nov. 24, approximately 48 hours after it went on the market.

According to Chelovich, the buyers who made the offer were in search of a historic home.

“They wrote a really strong offer knowing how competitive this market is,” she said. “So it spoke a lot to say not only have they been looking for a historic home, but they wanted this and were willing to do what it took to move it forward.”

The home is located off Orchard Lake Road, between 13 and 14 Mile roads.

Chelovich said the quality and construction of the home is a true test of time, and with the home being considered historical, there was a condition in place for anyone who purchased it.

“We wanted to make sure that anyone viewing (the home) understood that it is part of a historic district, so there would be a committee that would review any changes to the architecture that you might (want to) make,” she said. “Doesn’t mean that you can’t, they just would want to ensure that the integrity of the history remains in place.”

Chelovich is with Crain Homes, which is located in downtown Birmingham. She said that it is recognized as a female-owned brokerage. 

Crain Homes launched last October, and the unique opportunity to list a home that is recognized as historical has not been lost on her.

“It’s certified by the historic district of Farmington Hills,” Chelovich said. “One of the first licensed female architects in Michigan was the architect for the home. There’s some pretty cool history there.” 

Although the inscription in front of the home provides details about its history, it can’t match taking a walk inside and seeing the features that make it unique.

“To see all the architecture details inside that are still intact was really special, and to see how it was modernized for a family in the current day-of-age,” Chelovich said.  “Like in the dining room, the sconces are so unique, how you turn ’em on and off is so unique, versus some of what we see in more modern construction right now. It was great.”

Chelovich said that the home’s large dining room is a great draw.

“You walk into the foyer and then to your left you have a large living room with a beautiful fireplace, and to your right you have almost equal in size, the dining room, which I can imagine was used for entertaining for many, many years,” she said.

After living in the home for approximately 25 years, along with her husband, Eoin, Liz Comerford described selling it as bittersweet.

“We’ve had a beautiful life in that home,” she said. 

Having lived in the home for more than two decades and raising two children during that time, she said that she will miss the memories.

Purchasing an older home didn’t happen by happenstance.

“We were always very intent on having an older home that we could put some love into and the fact that when we were looking we found this house that was historic was great,” Liz Comerford said. 

“That was something that we wanted. … It was very much a commitment to us to want to preserve something that’s been around for a long time. It was a commitment of love on our part to have a historic home.”

Liz and Eoin Comerford intend to remain in Michigan and live near a lake. Chelovich recognized the care that they put into the home.

“They had done quite a bit of upkeep while keeping the integrity of the house throughout the 25 years, so they had expanded off the back and added a kitchen and a breakfast nook, a little office space, and then most recently, a second floor deck so it walks out from the primary bedroom. And there’s a little outdoor sitting area on the second floor,” Chelovich said. 

“Because it’s historic, they kept a lot of the integrity of the architecture in place, so even the railings on the second floor deck followed that Asian influence that you’ll see in the front archway over the front porch.”

Chelovich expects the home to close prior to the end of the month. The experience of listing a historic home isn’t something that she is likely to forget anytime soon.

“It was such a unique property, and to see it in such great, pristine condition, to really come into a home that’s pretty turnkey, where you might make some personal changes, not necessarily an overhaul on a home that’s been around for this long, was really impressive,” Chelovich said. 

“It’s a large lot. To have that land around is also a really unique feature for a family home in this area. And to be part of that piece of history and continue it, it’s nice to be part of something where it’s starting its next chapter.”