Historic Home Tour

Marshall Michigan

Shawn and Lorrie Hicks
334 North marshall Avenue

This Colonial revival home was built by Louis Napoleon Giroux around 1917

The Colonial revival home of Shawn and Lorrie Hicks was built by Louis Napoleon Giroux around 1917.

Louis was born in Marshall in 1867 to Ludger Giroux, a Canadian immigrant and Martha Nixon Giroux, who was born in 1838 to Irish emigrant parents. Louis founded Standard Printing in 1892 and married Minnie Modricker in 1901. The original site of the home was at 312 E. Mansion Street, directly across the street from the Brooks Mansion, now the site of Oaklawn Hospital. Their only child, son Louis Napoleon, was born in 1919.

Louis Sr. chose the Mansion Street location because of its proximity to his growing business, originally located on State Street (now Michigan Avenue) between the Brooks Rupture Appliance building and the Post Office. His entrepreneurial spirit lives on in the 21st Century as Standard Printing & Office Supply, located at 100 S. Kalamazoo Avenue.

Mr. Giroux died in 1924. His widow, Minnie and son, Louis, continued to live in the house until 1927 when it became the United Methodist Church parsonage.

That year, Minnie exchanged the home for $5,000 and the deed to the church’s old parsonage on Green Street. The Methodist Church, which had recently built its new sanctuary at 214 E. Mansion Street - the present day Franke Center for the Arts - found the Giroux home the perfect location for the parson’s residence.

Between 1927 and 1964 the house was home to seven pastors and their families. It was moved in 1986 to its present location on North Marshall Avenue.

Shawn and Lorrie Hicks purchased the house in late 2002. The couple was thrilled to finally realize a dream fo owning an historic home, and they quickly got to work on restorations and improvements.

The first summer they rebuilt the front porch, which was near collapse. The following year saw the addition of all new landscaping and the beginning of what would become a four year project to hand scrape 11 coats of paint off the exterior wood siding, treat the wood and then repaint it.

Hand built wooden storm windows have also been replaced, matching the originals. All this work was done with the help of Lorrie’s father, who is a retired mechanical engineer.

The Hicks have also made numerous interior improvements, including remodeling the first floor powder room, living room, vestibule, and dining room. Most of the woodwork required the stripping of paint and refinishing. Wallpaper and lighting fixtures have been carefully chosen to reflect the age and décor of the home. The kitchen cabinets, countertops, and floor have been restored and/or replaced.

Lovers of antique and period furnishings, Shawn and Lorrie have numerous antique furniture pieces, including a 1927 Brannbach Baby Grand Piano, a Lincoln sofa and rocker and an 1870s parlor suite. Other collections include framed antique English cigarette cards and prints, which feature their favourite dog breed, the Cairn Terrier.

Lorrie also has compiled a collection of antique porcelain including Mason china, dating to the 1850s, and numerous Nippon pieces. The living room also features a 1920s palace-size Karastan wool carpet that the couple recently restored.