Old Fourth Ward Historic District

The Old Fourth Ward Historic District is rich in historical associations and contains some of the finest homes and church buildings in Ann Arbor. Cut off by the river on the north, the hospitals on the east, the campus and downtown on the south and west, the district is one of the oldest residential enclaves in the city.

The land was purchased by pioneer settlers and quickly became known as the center of fine homes inhabited by the town's leading citizens. Names prominent in Ann Arbor's history - John Allen, Silas Douglass, Judges Kingsley, Wilson and Lawrence, the Maynards, Cornwells, and the Kempfs - are associated with its sites. The neighborhood provided homes for bankers, lawyers, judges, doctors, merchants, and city officials, including the residences of seven mayors. The Old Fourth Ward was also home for several early schools, the most successful of which was run by the Clark sisters at 505 N. Division.

Despite several changes in the city's political organization, the neighborhood has continued to be known as the "Old Fourth" and is fondly remembered as the first acquaintance to Ann Arbor for visitors who were transported by carriage up the steep hills of State Street or Division Street from the railroad station.