Old Town Hall was built by prominent businessman Daniel Quirk, Sr., founder of the Peninsular Paper Company and co—founder and first president of the National Bank of Ypsilanti. The mansion is a fine example of its style, with its characteristic 3-story symmetrical block of masonry wall construction and central projecting tower ascending an extra story, both with mansard roofs sheathed in hexagonal slate shingle patterns in grey, red and tan. Embellished dormers, with twin Italianate windows, in the mansard admit light and air to the top floor. Carved stone hoods, embellished with flora incisions, cap the curved—topped, tall windows. A central porch, sheltering the double—doored main entrance, exhibits a rich array of embellished elements. Slender, paired columns, with smooth shafts and Corinthian capitals, support an entablature with elliptical arch and bracketed cornice. About 1911, the house was donated to the City by Daniel Quirk’s children, and served from 1914 to 1974 as City Hall. The building has since been used for commercial offices on its first three floors, with the top floor containing apartments occupied by the property owners. The rear carriage house, in the same style and materials as the main house, was rehabilitated in 1986 for office space.
 

Front View 1982	Front View 2004
Back View 1982   Northwest View 2004	Tower Close-up 1982