Throughout our series of blog posts we regularly focus on the history of specific homes, profile individual designers and explore interesting roads. This week we focus on the latter with an exploration of the first block of Kenwood Road, Grosse Pointe Farms, and its designer’s collection of beautifully crafted houses. There are many roads in […]
Once upon a time, not so long a go a small road in Grosse Pointe Farms was visited by several of Detroit’s leading designer’s of the early 20th century. The road, a pretty cul-de-sac, looks rather normal from the outside, but on closer inspection there are many exciting things to see. Beverly Road is one […]
Part two of the Leonard Willeke story, a career of highs and lows, continues with the architect’s career in 1930 – the financial devastation Willeke suffered from the Great Depression, and how he reestablished his career. The 1930’s Having experienced the ultimate high, during the 1920’s, of working with clients such as Henry and Edsel […]
Leonard B. Willeke – architect, designer, landscape artist, product, and furniture designer. A genius of his time and yet a man who has only received the credit he deserves within the last 30 years. The majority of the noted and prominent architects who worked in and around Metro Detroit from 1910 onwards have received endless plaudits […]
As you travel around Grosse Pointe it becomes apparent that not all roads are the same. Grosse Pointe may have once been a heavily wooded farming community, with primarily flat land, but on closer inspection there are exceptions to the rule. In Grosse Pointe Farms a major change in the landscape occurs. From Lewiston to […]
In celebration of Independence Day yesterday, we wanted to take this opportunity to take you back in time and share with you a brief history of our prominent and much loved community. We will start with a very brief history of Detroit and then explore Grosse Pointe a little further. During the period of 1701 […]
Following on from the story of the Standish Backus Estate located at 725 Lake Shore, we continue with the ‘Lost Tudor Mansions of Grosse Pointe’ and move onto 735 Lake Shore – the Alvan Macauley Mansion – demolished in 1975. As one of the architectural masterpieces that were constructed on the shores of Lake St. […]
After the conclusion of World War 1 the number of mansions in Grosse Pointe grew exponentially. The construction of grand homes for wealthy occupants was visible throughout the community, non more so than on Lake Shore. Wealthy Detroiter’s were choosing to utilize their prosperity and fortunes by commissioning the architectural crème de la crème to […]
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, […]
When we stop and consider which designers have had the greatest influence on the architectural scene in Detroit, it is quite possible there would be three reoccurring names – Albert Kahn, George Mason and Louis Kamper. These three architectural masters worked during a golden era, creating residential and commercial structures that left not only a […]