Metro Detroit Oakland County City
Lathrup Village
A 1920s model town planned by a woman, all brick and stone, wrapped by Southfield
- People (2025 estimate)
- 4,019
- Land area
- 1.5 sq mi · 3.9 km²
- From downtown
- 14.5 miles · 23 km · northwest
- Incorporated
- 1953
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Lathrup Village matters
Lathrup Village was dreamed up by a woman, back when that was a rare thing in real estate. Louise Lathrup Kelley bought 1,000 acres in Southfield Township in 1923, platted it in 1924, and the first house went up that same year.
Her rules were strict: single-family homes only, low-slung, and faced with brick, stone or stucco. The original deed restrictions also shut out Black families, and that's part of the story too. Most of the houses went up between 1930 and 1940 and between 1945 and 1960, so the tree-lined streets are full of Colonial, Tudor, English cottage and Spanish Colonial homes.
The little city is completely surrounded by Southfield and had no government of its own until the 1950s. It incorporated in 1953, the first community in Southfield Township to do so, and most of it became a historic district in 1998. If you love old houses, take a slow walk here.
02 / Known for
What Lathrup Village is known for
A planned community designed by a woman, Louise Lathrup Kelley, where only masonry houses were allowed.
The Lathrup Village Historic District has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998, with 1,156 buildings.
It's entirely surrounded by Southfield, a city inside a city.
The Annie Lathrup School (built 1926, opened 1927) was named for Louise's mother and is the only historic building on Southfield Road.
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Lathrup Village
Nothing on our calendar in Lathrup Village right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
1 places on our site in Lathrup Village
05 / What to do
If you’re in Lathrup Village
Lathrup Village Historic District
Walk or bike the leafy streets: the brick, stone and stucco homes from the 1920s through the 1950s are nearly all original.
Official site ↗Municipal Park
The park behind City Hall at 27400 Southfield Road hosts the summer community events; in August 2024, for example, it held an all-day music festival with acts like Thornetta Davis.
Official site ↗
06 / History
Lathrup Village through the years
- 1923
Louise Lathrup Kelley buys 1,000 acres in Southfield Township.
- 1924
Kelley plats the townsite and the first house is built.
- 1927
The Annie Lathrup School opens on Southfield Road.
- 1953
Lathrup Village incorporates as a city, the first incorporated community in Southfield Township.
- 1998
Most of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
08 / People
Famous names from here
- Louise Lathrup Kelley Real estate developer who founded and planned the town, active until her death in 1963.
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Lathrup Village city).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathrup_Village,_Michigan
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathrup_Village_Historic_District
- candgnews.com/news/friday-five-aug-9-11
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southfield_Public_Schools
- lathrupvillage.org
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.7 percent.
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