The house was designed by Maurice Herman Finkel, and in 1925 it was bought by its second owner, physician Ossian Sweet, an African American.

[2] The second story is covered with brown shingling, and atop the house is a simple gable roof with a central dormer.

Detroit's African American migrants were usually forced to locate to the east side where landlords took advantage of overcrowding and charged high rents.

[8] When the neighbors learned that the house was sold to an African American couple, they organized "The Waterworks Park Improvement Association" to oppose their presence in the neighborhood.

[4] A Detroit News reporter, Philip A. Adler, later testified that the mob consisted of "400 and 500" people, throwing stones that hit the house "like hail.

[3] After the trials, Ossian Sweet rented the home on Garland to a white couple until 1930, when he moved back into the house.

[3] The trial of Ossian Sweet and ten family members and friends for murder after defending their Detroit home captured media attention in the 1920s.

The Ossian Sweet case exposed racial tensions in Detroit following the Great Migration and marked a legacy in the history of challenging segregation in the court system.

On August 13, 2018, Detroit city officials announced that they would grant $500,000 to purchase and rehabilitate the Sweet home and the two houses across the street.

[9] The Ossian Sweet Historic area is the site of deadly 1925 racial incident after the black family moved into the all-white neighborhood on Detroit's east side.

Currently, the Baxter family privately owns the home, but officials intend on making arrangements with the homeowner to preserve living quarters as well as place museum installments on the first floor for public visitations.

[10] Right now, there is a historic post on the lawn of the house that tours and visitors tend to frequent, but with the installation many more can learn about the importance of the case through scheduled visits.