Completed in 1909, the Walter C. Hartmann House is one of the distinguished residences that helped establish Boston-Edison as Detroit's most desirable neighborhood for business leaders and professionals. Designed by the architectural firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, the home reflects the elegance and craftsmanship that defined Detroit's finest residential architecture of the early 20th century.

Smith, Hinchman & Grylls also designed the home's carriage house.

The house remains an important contributor to the Boston-Edison Historic District, one of the nation's largest collections of early 20th-century homes. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 5, 1975.