History
The City of Lathrup Village combines an historic past
with a dynamic present. Gracious homes and planned city growth
have provided an ideal environment for convenient, small city
living within a larger metropolitan area. Within this setting
you will find shaded streets, pleasant lawns, trees and gardens,
and several parks. One would expect this to be a tradition
in a city with our unique atmosphere. The signs of this are
everywhere; older homes with an ever-fresh, well-trimmed look
complemented by areas of charming newer and new homes. Our
close proximity to a developed highway system provides easy
access to the entire metropolitan area, and the many amenities
available. All of this has made residential Lathrup Village
a pleasant place to live, and the area a sound investment
in real values.
Lathrup Village is a living monument to Lousie Lathrup Kelley
who conceived and carrier out the city’s unique development.
In 1923 she acquired 1,000 acres in Southfield Township, which
covers our present area of 1-1/2 square miles, bounded on
the north and south by 12 and 10-1/2 Mile Roads and running
east and west from about 1/4 mile east of Southfield Road
to Evergreen Road on the west. The area was known as Lathrup
Townsite where a controlled building plan was followed restricting
the subdivisions to all brick houses of high quality, and
a beautiful development began to emerge in strict accordance
with her ideas, which she carrier out throughout her life.
The unique street system has been considered a model for a
planned residential community. Mrs. Kelly has been considered
very progressive in her development of the city by requiring
the use of brick, stone, or masonry for all homes. She also
required attached garages that were considered very unique
for their time. Mrs. Kelley was a practical business women
and lived to see her dream of a beautiful city of well built
homes become a reality, thus honoring her heritage and establishing
a tradition.
Since incorporation as a city in 1953, the City Council
and all of its officials have carried on her good will we
all so much enjoy today. How can a city be a village, or a
village a city? There have been many answers to this question,
but the most accepted one seems to be that the citizens wanted
to keep Lathrup a village-type community when they decided
to become independent and incorporate as a city. Also , to
avoid mailing confusion with "Lathrop, Michigan" the city
was incorporated as "City of Lathrup Village."
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