Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Grosse Pointe’s Best Kept Secret – Edgemont Park

Located between Ellair Place and Park Lane in Grosse Pointe Park is a small unassuming dead end street called Edgemont Park. The secluded road is lined with an abundance of trees, so much so that many of the homes are almost hidden from view. At the end of the street is a small lakefront park, it is believed each family has a key, providing residents with a place to call their own. Edgemont Park is quite beautiful.

The road is home to a handful of residences; there are some superb architectural examples on display created by a number of skilled designers.

The houses are somewhat unique to Edgemont Park. The styles range from French Colonial, English Tudor, through to several excellent examples of Italian Renaissance Revival design. Many of the homes were constructed during the 1920’s and were created by some prominent architects, including: Louis Kamper, Hugh T. Keyes, Clair W. Ditchy, and two homes by Marcus Burrowes,

The Homes:

820 Edgemont: designed by Hugh T. Keyes in 1927, this 9,204 sq ft house is a beautiful property on the shore of Lake St Clair. Keyes was a prolific designer of fine homes in the Grosse Pointes and was arguably one of the most diverse architects to ply his trade in the community.

835 Edgemont: A Colonial home designed in 1925. The architect is not known.

836 Edgemont: A superb French Colonial home created in 1918 by Detroit’s premier architect Louis Kamper. The large French windows provide the home with a massive amount of natural light, and at just under 4,000 sq ft it is one of Kamper’s smaller homes, but possibly one of his most distinctive.

845 Edgemont: A stately residence, designed by Barton D. Wood in 1928.

854 Edgemont: This classic 5,500 sq ft home was designed by Marcus Burrowes and built in 1924. The property features 6 bedrooms – the master bedroom is a gigantic – 31’ x 13’ sq ft., the first floor features a large oak paneled library (29’ x 17’ sq ft), 3 natural fireplaces and an impressive foyer with timber beams.

Burrowes was a versatile artist, designing residential, public and municipal buildings in and around Detroit. During the 1920’s and 1930’s Burrowes was widely known throughout southeast Michigan for his English Revival Style buildings, a style he also brought to the Grosse Pointe communities as part of the eight buildings (that we know of) he created here.

860 Edgemont: Lucian Bouttelgier designed this Regency style 5,000 sq ft home in 1928.

861 Edgemont: William H. Kuni designed this Mediterranean Revival style 5,000 sq ft home in 1928.

876 Edgemont: Built in 1925, this is a striking Mediterranean Revival 4,281 sq ft home. This house is said to contain beautiful plaster moldings and magnificent paneling in the living room. The architect is not known.

877 Edgemont: Created by Dise & Ditchy in 1923, this is a classically designed Colonial residence.

894 Edgemont: The second home designed by Marcus Burrowes on Edgemont, this Italian Renaissance Revival 5,000 sq ft house – created in 1927 – has a grand foyer (27’ x 13’) with an elegant staircase, a large living room (32’ x 16’) and 6 bedrooms.

895 Edgemont: Designed by Alvin E. Harley in 1925.

910 Edgemont: A Colonial home designed in 1925. The architect is not known. This house has been razed (year not known).

911 Edgemont: This is an Italian Renaissance Revival home designed in 1927 by Arthur C. Keil. Constructed from limestone it is believed to feature a marble entrance hall, walnut floors in the living room and dining room, 4 equally sized bedrooms (18’ x 16’) and Pewabic tile in the bathrooms.

With little information about this road at the Historical Society, online, or in our own archives, this street is quite possible Grosse Pointe’s best-kept secret.

If anyone has any information about this road – history, photos, stories etc – we would love to hear from you.

*Photos courtesy of the Higbie Maxon Agney archives unless stated.

 

Written by Katie Doelle
Copyright © 2016 Katie Doelle