About Us
The Governor Croswell Tea Room is located in the one hundred year-old Hoefler Building at 125 E. Maumee in historic downtown Adrian, Michigan. The tea room is named in honor of former Adrian resident, Charles Miller Croswell, who was the 17th Governor of the State of Michigan from 1877 – 1881.
The location also has a long and successful business history...
The Hoefler Building back in the late 1940's.
West view of Maumee St. from the 1890's. The Hoefler Building is second from the right.
Louis Hoefler originally re- built the building in 1910 for his cousin, Louise M. Burger, where she opened an upscale millinery shop (hats, dresses, hat trim). Her reputation as a first class destination was widely known.
She and her daughters, Clara and Anna, ran the business from this location until about 1922. In 1923, Leone Kaufman, a Burger Millinery employee, took over and began a 30 - year career of millinery sales at this location.
In 1967, Robert and Thelma Judge moved their family legacy of selling fine quality jewelry in the Adrian area, from S. Main Street to this location. It became known as the Judge's Jewelry Building. The name still survives on the green glass sections on the canopy.
Teresa Weir purchased this building in 1998 where it was a destination for many upscale home décor purchases.
In 2010, Al Wilkerson, an Adrian native, and his wife Phyllis Wilkerson, both retired educators, purchased the building to build a tea room on the main floor, which would provide a "china and linen" tea experience.
The Wilkerson’s goal was to build a tradition of serving excellent British inspired food and offering an outstanding tea drinking experience with a personal touch to each patron.