Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe

Last week we presented the work of architect Charles Kellogg Backus. While Mr. Backus only designed a few homes during a short career that was tragically cut short, he did create one of Grosse Pointe’s most unique buildings, the Unitarian Church, located at 17150 Maumee in Grosse Pointe City. This distinctive structure was completed in 1964-1965.

This week we head to 411 Country Club Lane, a stunning home designed by renowned architect William B. Stratton in 1927 for Edward S. Bennett. The Colonial style home is instantly recognizable on a special street that has many sublime properties.

William B. Stratton was one of the most influential architects in Detroit during the early 20th Century. He worked with some of the best designers in the city and often played a big part in influencing trends. Born in 1865 in Ithaca, New York, he acquired an early education in Elmira and graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Architecture in 1881. It is believed William Stratton first appeared in the Detroit City directory in 1889, while he was working as a draughtsman for the prestigious architectural firm of Mason & Rice.

Throughout his career he was an innovative designer. He has been described as having a vigorous creative imagination and had a reputation for creating designs that were ahead of their time. In 1918, he married Mary Chase Perry co-founder of the Pewabic Pottery and together the two of them created Stratton House - the stunning bungalow/craftsman style home located at 938 Three-Mile Drive. This special property is known for its simple elegance, fine composition, and the harmonious interaction between the house and the garden.

During his career, Stratton worked with several partners on residential projects in Grosse Pointe that varied in style and size. Post 1932, Stratton, in the twilight of career, worked alone. He passed on March 13, 1938. Some of projects in Grosse Pointe include:

Lochmoor Club(the original clubhouse) – (demolished in 1924 due to fire)
482 Rivard
365 University Place
4 Woodland Place
50 Lochmoor
502 Lincoln
Lochmoor Club (the new clubhouse, demolished in 1968)
15366 Windmill Pointe
230 Lewiston
341 Lakeland

Arguably one of Stratton’s more prominent projects is 411 Country Club Lane. Located on a 146’ x 243’ sq ft lot the 8,682 sq ft Colonial style residence is a 3-story home. As with all Stratton houses the level of detail is second to none with beautiful quarter-sawn oak floors throughout along with solid mahogany, walnut doors and paneling. Color image courtesy of: Google Earth.

The first floor features a huge 20’ x 42’ sq ft living room (with one of the six fireplaces that are found throughout the property), the library (19’ x 19’ sq ft), a study (12’ x 15’ sq ft), dining room (19’ x 19’ sq ft), along with the kitchen, a breakfast room, and a maid’s dining room. The second floor had five main bedrooms along with three bedrooms for maids, while on the third floor was an additional bedroom and at one point a 26’ x 29’ sq ft playroom (that could have had another purpose when the house was completed). The house also has an attached 3-car garage plus a carriage house with two bedrooms.

Original owner Edward S. Bennett was a broker, he was born in Boston in 1877. He married Hattie G Paige, also from Boston, and together they had three daughters. Prior to moving to Grosse Pointe Mr. and Mrs. Bennett resided at 1446 Seminole, which was also designed by William B.Stratton and his then partner Frank C. Baldwin, in 1910. Image courtesy of Google.com

Mr. Bennett passed in the late 1930’s. After his death his wife Hattie continued to reside at the home until she passed on 17 January 1954. Soon after, in March 1954, 411 Country Club Lane was listed for sale. At the time heating costs ran $1,177 (nearly $14,000 today). It was purchased for $270,000 (around $3.1m today) by Roy Chapin Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Chapin’s father, Roy D. Chapin Sr., was one of the co-founders of the Hudson Motor Car Company. A photo featuring the Chapin family, and an AMC Hornet SST Sportabout 1972 (photo by Slim Aarons), was the subject of an article in Town and Country magazine in 2014 – shown below.

Having graduated from Yale in 1937, with a degree in business administration Roy Chapin Jr. began his career in the auto industry as a salesman, test driver, and experimental engineer for Hudson Motor Car Company in 1938. Chapin joined American Motors Corporation in 1954, when the company was formed following the merger of Nash Kelvinator Corp and Hudson Motor Car Co. During his time with the company, he held the positions of assistant treasurer, director, chairman of the board, and was appointed CEO in 1967.Mr. Chapin was instrumental in not only turning around the fortunes of the once ailing company, but also introducing many successful lines of cars including the Gremlin, Hornet, and the Javelin. Chapin retired from his position as CEO in late 1977 but stayed as chairman until he retired in October 1978. Source: Wikipedia. Prior to that Mr. Chapin had listed 411 Country Club for sale in May 1978 for $425,000 (around $2m today) to move to his ranch in California. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1984.

Country Club Lane is a significant street with many sublime properties. Number 411 is particularly noteworthy; located on a large lot, with several prominent owners, having been designed by one of the most prestigious architects to work in Grosse Pointe (and Metro Detroit).

* Photos courtesy of the Higbie Maxon Agney archives unless stated.
** Research, information, and data sources are deemed reliable, but accuracy cannot be fully guaranteed.

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