DT&M Roundhouse
The Roundhouse served steam engines in two ways – first for maintenance and secondarily to change the direction of travel as a steam engine could not back up. For direction change, railroads placed these facilities roughly 100 miles apart. The Detroit, Toledo, & Milwaukee railroad had several of these buildings along their route. This particular roundhouse was in Marshall, Michigan when Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village bought it. Christman Construction was hired to move it. It was deconstructed in Marshall and Davenport Masonry & Restoration was hired to rebuild it at Greenfield Village. We’re proud to have been a part of this historic project. According to Christman’s Project Manager, Ron Staley, “Davenport Masonry & Restoration’s attention to masonry detailing to achieve the true character of century-old brickwork met with our greatest expectations. The incorporation of brick arches with saw-tooth detailing within radius walls was thought to be impossible. Your staff’s painstaking attention to these details made the project come alive. Preservation is said by many to be a lost art. They only need to look at Davenport to find where masonry art lives.”