560 Cadieux | Katie Doelle

Last week we explored another of Grosse Pointe’s ‘lost estates’ – 17000 E. Jefferson, designed by George W. Graves for Oren S. Hawes, built in 1914.

This week we would like to present 560 Cadieux, created in 1911 by architect Frank E. Hill for the Breitenbach family.

Given that 17000 E. Jefferson and 560 Cadieux were built within three years of each other, this presents a superb example to the range of the architectural styles and trends that were present in Grosse Pointe at the beginning of the 20^th century. There are the grand, formal brick built colonial homes, such as the magnificent homes on Jefferson, and yet just around the corner there is a wonderful example of an Arts and Craft home, a style that was becoming extremely popular throughout the United States during this era. The emergence of the Arts and Crafts movement in Detroit (and the United States) started to gain momentum towards the end of the 19th century. Already a popular movement in Europe many architects in the US were inspired by this emerging architectural trend. This included several prominent designers in Detroit – William B. Stratton, and Albert Kahn (to name but a few) who were instrumental in spearheading the arts and crafts movement in the city, which staged its first annual arts and crafts exhibition in 1904.

Frank E. Hill designed 560 Cadieux at the height of the movements’ popularity. We can find very little information on Frank E. Hill, if anyone has more information we would love to hear more about him. We do know he created several homes in Grosse Pointe, including:

1252 Bedford (1925)
1120 Buckingham (1925)
1365 Three Mile Drive (1928)
1151 Berkshire (1929)
652 Pemberton (1936)
76 Colonial Road (1939)

His designs crossed a range of architectural styles. His creation of 560 Cadieux was his earliest work in Grosse Pointe by far, and his only home, in this community, in the arts and craft style. Most of his other projects in the area seemed to take place in the 1920’s and 30’s, and were in keeping with the popular colonial homes of this era, along with a Tudor inspired home at 1120 Buckingham.

When 560 Cadieux was completed, in 1911, there were only a few homes on the street, and so it was surrounded by an abundance of open space. The original total lot size for the house – the lots it sits on, and an extra lot – was around 141’ x 142’ sq ft.

Constructed of brick the 1,876 sq ft home is located on a gently rising slope that enhances its charm. The interior consists of a large entry hall, a living room (14’ x 23’ sq ft) with a natural fireplace, a large formal dining room (12’ x 14’ sq ft), along with three bedrooms. The master bedroom includes a natural fireplace while a nursery was located off of this room. Research from the Grosse Pointe Historical Society states that much of the interior of this home features beautiful oak woodwork, including the floors, an oak paneled dining room, and an oak paneled stairway wall with built-in window seat. The living room reportedly contained a Pewabic tile fireplace and (based on the research by the Grosse Pointe Historical Society) the vestibule had ‘door lights that feature a circular leaded glass pattern similar to that used by Frank Lloyd Wright’. Image Courtesy of the Grosse Pointe Historical Society.

The owner of the home, Harold Prell Breitenbach, earned a Ph.D. in Latin and Greek at the University of Michigan. He we onto teach English at the University, and wrote several books, including: ‘The Value of English to the Practicing Engineer’, published in 1906.

He moved into his new residence on Cadieux with his wife, Charlotte Hanstein and two year old daughter Lois.

At some point during the homes history, we believe to be around 1970, the lot was divided and the extra lot (76’ x 142’ sq ft) was listed for sale, along with the house. The house was listed for $36,500 (around $240,000 today) while the extra lot was listed for $12,500 (around $81,000 today). A house was subsequently built on the extra lot, which now faces Village Lane. However, it appears 560 Cadieux did not sell until around 2000 when it was sold to its current owners who have retained its original arts and crafts styling’s, inside and out. It is a beautiful home and one of Grosse Pointe’s best examples of this distinctive architectural style.

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