Governor Warner Museum

The Governor Warner Museum is a Victorian Italianate structure built in 1867 by P. D. Warner, the Governor’s father, and is furnished in late Victorian style. Sitting on almost three acres, the house is surrounded by gardens lovingly tended by the Museum Garden auxiliary.

The Museum Grounds are available to rent for your special events such as weddings, self-catered porch lunches, etc. The grounds are also available for family photos.

The Museum always needs volunteers to help with these and many other activities. Please call 248-473-7275 for information.

Governor Warner Museum Schedule

Tour the Governor Warner Museum

Gov. Warner Museum Gardens & Map

Gov. Warner Museum Grounds Use Policy 
Wedding/Group Photos Form

Historical Commission

We were saddened this past September to lose one of the Historical Commission’s most dedicated and long-serving members. Charles “Dick” Carvell who served on the Historical Commission for almost three decades, and was Director of the Gov. Warner Mansion, passed away on September 20, 2008. To many City residents, Dick was the face and voice of historic preservation in Farmington. He worked tirelessly to maintain the Gov. Warner Mansion, to add to its collection of historical artifacts, and to enhance the use of the Mansion by individuals and groups in the Farmington/Farmington Hills communities.

A fitting reminder of Dick’s dedication to the Mansion was the recent execution of abronze statue of Martha andEdessa Warner that was unveiled on the Mansion’s grounds this past June. The sculpture by Bernadette Zachara-Marcos presents 5-year old Edessa clutching the hem of her mother’s dress while walking in the garden. Dick was immensely proud of this project and closely followed the work of Ms. Zachara-Marcos as his concept went through the various creative stages to the ultimate casting of the statue.

The Historical Commission offers homeowners within the Historic District the opportunity to purchase a bronze plaque suitable for mounting by their house entrance to identify it as an historic structure. The plaque designates the date of construction and lists a unique name for the house based on the name of the original owner. Due to the substantial cost of bronze, the Historical Commission helps defray this expense by paying a significant portion of the manufacturer’s costs. Any homeowner in the District interested in a plaque should contact Commissioner Jim Atkinson.

Homeowners in the Historic District are reminded that the Historical Commission now requires the approval of a demolition application prior to the removal or relocation of any substantive structure within the Historic District. This application can be obtained from the Public Services Department at 33720 West Nine Mile Road where historic building applications are also available. Applications for structural alterations within the Historic District are forwarded to the Planning Commission after action by the Historical Commission. While the Historical Commission acts as expeditiously as possible, homeowners should be aware of the time requirements for the permitting process when developing their construction timeline.

During the upcoming year, the Commission will be placing a number of resources for Historic District homeowners on the City’s web site, including building and demolition applications, Commission guidelines, and links to appropriate web sites. We will strive to make the site as informative and easy to use as possible, so that Historic District homeowners will find it to be a valuable resource to consult.

The Historical Commission meets on the fourth Thursday of each month in the City Hall Conference Room at 7:30 PM. However, due to generally few requests for permit reviews, the Commission may not meet in December and/or August. The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend these meeting.

The Gov. Warner Museum is located at 33805 Grand River Ave. 
Please call 248-473-7275 for more information or email:
warner_mansion@tds.net