Demolition has begun as part of Farmington’s Governor Warner Mansion rear-addition replacement, a $1 million preservation project at the 1867 landmark, according to the Historical Commission’s Oct. 28 agenda.
The commission’s agenda states “demolition has begun” under its Warner Mansion activities item. The commission is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Farmington City Hall, 23600 Liberty St.
The work targets later additions attached to the back of the original house. Those additions contained bathrooms and a kitchen but lack adequate foundations and are deteriorating structurally, according to a city announcement in March.
City Manager David Murphy said in that announcement that the additions “served their purpose, but they were built without proper foundations, and they’re failing structurally.”
The original 1867 house will be preserved. New kitchen and restroom facilities will replace the rear additions, allowing the property to accommodate community events and rentals.
The mansion was home to Fred Warner, a Farmington cheese factory entrepreneur who served as Michigan’s governor from 1905 to 1911. His descendants donated the property to the city in the 1980s.
A $1 million state grant secured in 2023 is funding the work. The city’s March announcement credits Sen. Mary Cavanagh, Rep. Jason Hoskins and Rep. Kelly Breen with securing the appropriation. The grant must be used by the end of 2026, according to the city’s construction projects page.
Farmington Councilmember Steve Schneemann, an architect who volunteered his services, presented the addition’s design to the Historical Commission on March 30.
That proposal called for an addition of 1,200 to 1,300 square feet, positioned inward to keep it out of view from the front, according to the commission’s March minutes. The commission approved the design on a 4–1 vote.
According to the Historical Commission’s July 22 minutes, the city approved funding to investigate an ivy wall that could screen the addition, following community feedback.
The city says the mansion and porch are closed to visitors during construction, while photography at the gazebo remains permitted. Its previously announced reopening estimate was late 2026 or early 2027.
Later phases could restore the carriage house, improve landscaping, add an indoor/outdoor pavilion and update the adjacent city-owned parking lot. Those improvements require additional funding.
The Oct. 28 agenda also includes a historic district survey, downtown historic plaques and plans for a Christmas holiday decoration contest. The agenda lists judging for Dec. 4 and an announcement of winners at Holly Days on Dec. 5.
