Penfil Apartments

Penfil Apartments
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Penfil Apartments in 2014
Interactive map
Location	108--110 S. Hosmer St., Lansing, Michigan
Coordinates	42°43′59″N84°32′30″W / 42.73306°N 84.54167°W / 42.73306; -84.54167 (Penfil Apartments)
Area	less than one acre
Built	1923 (1923)
Architect	Brezner & Gay
Architectural style	Italian Renaissance
NRHP reference No.	90001654 [1]
Added to NRHP	October 17, 1990

Penfil Apartments is an apartment building located at 108-110 South Hosmer Street in Lansing, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. ^[1] It is one of the few apartment buildings in Lansing constructed prior to World War II.

History

Joseph Penfil was a Lansing businessman who managed a number of small businesses in Lansing in the 1920s and 30s. In 1923, he hired the local architectural firm of Brezner & Gay to design this apartment building. It was constructed in 1923–24 on the site which previously held his house. The Great Depression took a toll on Penfil, and he lost control of the apartmetn building, which was renamed the Ruel Apartments in 1933. ^[2]

Description

The Penfil Apartments is a 3+1⁄2-story red brick Italian Renaissance Revival building with a flat roof, constructed in a symmetrical U-shape with the entrance in the interior courtyard. Large windows are at the lower level, with a water table above. A course of soldier bricks is above the water table, with two more below and above the third floor windows. Basketweave bricks are at the top of the facade. ^[2]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. William E. Rutter. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Penfil Apartments". National Park Service . Retrieved September 6, 2025. With accompanying pictures