This asymmetrical Shingle Style cottage was built for John Atkinson (b. 1841), a Detroit lawyer, and his wife, Lida Lyons. At the southwest corner of the house a large octagonal tower with an open upper level beneath a conical roof rises above an open octagonal porch. This marvelous breezy lookout was particularly appropriate for lake or seaside cottages. The house is clad in shingles.