page_title: Lathrup Village, Michigan
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Lathrup Village, Michigan / History
caption_attribution_description: English: A picture of Louise Lathrup Kelley, the founder of en:Lathrup Village, a suburban city outside of Detroit, Michigan.
context_page_description: Lathrup Village is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,075 at the 2010 census. This city is surrounded by the city of Southfield. The I-696 / Reuther Freeway goes through nearly the east–west center of town, and Southfield Road goes nearly through the north–south center. The Southfield Town Center, formerly known as the Prudential Town Center, is within walking distance of the southwest corner of the city.
context_section_description: The city of Lathrup Village is an outgrowth of the development known as Lathrup Townsite, the dream of its developer Louise Lathrup Kelley. In 1923 she purchased a tract of 1,000 acres (4 km²) in Southfield Township, in southern Oakland County, and proceeded to plat a residential neighborhood that encompasses the city of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²). Lathrup Townsite was conceived as a controlled community with rigorous standards, including houses built only of masonry construction; early integration of attached garages; as well as established minimums for construction cost to ensure quality (source: City of Lathrup Village). As the community developed, Mrs. Kelley implemented numerous innovative directives, including operating a shuttle service to local shopping areas, and allowing the financing of automobiles as part of the financing of houses, which created a stronger connection between the relatively isolated townsite and more established suburbs, as well as the city of Detroit. Mr. Charles Kelley, who had been a real estate writer for the Detroit News, assisted his wife in bringing talented architects to the community to design many of the custom homes that are features of the community.
  The City of Lathrup Village was incorporated in 1953 as the first incorporated community in Southfield Township. The residents thwarted an attempt by township residents to include Lathrup Townsite in their planned incorporation of the city of Southfield, resulting in Southfield's incorporation being delayed until 1958. Louise Lathrup Kelley played an active role in the new city until her death in 1963, after which her remaining real estate holdings in the city were sold and developed.
caption: Louise Lathrup Kelley
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