Historic and Iconic

761-3/4345-47 Trumbull Avenue, Woodbridge Historic Neighborhood Detroit. Also known as the Charles E. Guild/Charles M. Draper/Ellen Harvey and until more recently known as the Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple. Built 1903-4, It first appears in the 1904 Directory with Charles E. Guild a manager and Charles M. Draper occupying the structure during this time. Ellen Harvey would occupy this home sometime before the 1910s along with Ada and Charles Schulte. Ada was a teacher and Charles was a student. Charles M. Draper would still occupy the 763 Unit for many years.

In the late 1990s, popular Buddhist author, P’arang purchased 4345-47 and founded Stillpoint as a Korean Chogye Zen center after returning from a pilgrimage with her teacher, Ven. Samu Sunim. Samu Sunim had been part of the first wave of Asian Zen masters who began putting down roots in America in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Still Point took its cues from the earliest Zen centers in the country, which tended to follow an Asian monastic model in which a teacher would live at the center, working and training alongside students.

To learn more about the history and present-day Stillpoint Buddhist Temple, we highly recommend checking out their website: https://www.stillpointzenbuddhisttemple.org/.

Nearing 130 years old, this historic home is now a neighborhood icon, especially since muralist Nicole MacDonald installed a huge Buddha on the Canfield side of the building in 2016 as part of her “Buddhas in Woodbridge” series. Located in the heart of Woodbridge, “Buddha House” (as the kids now call it) is an everlasting and beloved piece of historical architecture.