In 1906, David Mackenzie, principal of Central High School and founder of the College of the City of Detroit,[4] moved into the house, where he lived until his death.

After Esther moved out, Wayne State University acquired the house, using it as the headquarters of the Women's Guild.

[5] In the mid-1970s, the Mackenzie House was slated for demolition, until a group of Wayne State students protested.

[6] In 2018, plans were made to move the house to a new location within the same block to make room for the Hilberry Gateway Performance Project.

[8] The Mackenzie House is a two-and-a-half-story red brick structure with a prominent round tower with a conical turret on one corner of the facade.

Wayne State remodeled the interior to create a theatre to seat 532 people, serving as a repertory theater.

[9] The building was re-christened in honor of Clarence B. Hilberry, the fourth president of WSU, and reopened in January 1964.

The original building plan had 103 rooms arranged in a "T" shape with an auditorium that seated over 2,000 people.

The building continued to serve Wayne State, and in 1994 received major renovations and a new addition.