Michael Gallagher (bishop)

Michael James Gallagher (November 16, 1866 in Auburn, Michigan – January 20, 1937) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Detroit from 1918 to 1937.

Biography

Gallagher was ordained a priest for the diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 19, 1893. On July 5, 1915, he was appointed titular archbishop of Tipasa in Mauritania. On December 26, 1916, he was appointed bishop of Grand Rapids, Michigan. On July 18, 1918, Gallagher was appointed bishop of Detroit, where he served until his death in 1937.

The Fisher Brothers of the firm Fisher Body in Detroit commissioned the Boston firm of McGinnis and Walsh, specialists in ecclesiastical architecture, to design a residence for Bishop Gallagher. Upon completion, the Fishers gave the mansion to Bishop Michael Gallagher, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, the 39,000-square-foot (3,600 m²) home is the largest within the city of Detroit.

The two-story brick residence, a large central structure flanked by diagonal wings. Religious themes are included throughout the house, both on the exterior and the interior. On the exterior, medallions, shields and crests are set into the brickwork, and a copper statue of the archangel St. Michael defeating Satan is prominent. The interior is finished with oak, stone and masonry. The house had, at one time, the largest collection of Pewabic glazed pottery tile in Michigan.