Table Of Content
I decided a room by room tour with pictures and details would pretty much spoil it for you. Therefore, I decided to take the approach of picking out my favorite details, and things that surprised us the most, including some back history. The astounding natural beauty of the Ford House grounds provides a sensory experience for the visitors to the Ford House. On their early scouting trips abroad, the Fords were accompanied by their art history mentor, William R. Valentiner, the new director of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Valentiner helped lay the groundwork for the paintings, furniture and decorative objects that filled their rooms.
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The library was designed around seventeenth-century oak paneling and a Caen stone chimneypiece from Deene Park, while eighteenth-century pine paneling from Spitalfields was seamlessly installed in the morning room. The house contains elements from six English estates, including a circa 1600 staircase from Lyvedon Old Bield Manor in Northamptonshire. Edsel & Eleanor Ford House tells the story of the home life of a prominent American family. The Fords were cultural, social and economic leaders in an era of great optimism, as well as a turbulent time of economic depression and world war.
Meet the staff who made Ford House a home in ‘Making It Work’ - Grosse Pointe News (subscription)
Meet the staff who made Ford House a home in ‘Making It Work’.
Posted: Wed, 31 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Tour Information
Remember, Henry Ford was great friends with Thomas Edison, so they literally got the “hook up” with a kitchen like this! Originally left the way the home was when Eleanor left, only minor changes have been made over the decades. I should mention, there really was little remodeling or additions to the home from the time it was built.
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The Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grant is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The grant should cover the cost of the project, Ford House spokesman Tommy Karr said Monday. The pool was under refurbishment when we visited, but the pool house was neat to see.
He met Eleanor at Detroit’s Strasburg School of Dancing, where he was taking lessons. While he courted Eleanor, escorting her to dances and parties, he spent a lot of time in the factory learning the family business with his father. Edsel and Eleanor married in 1916 and had four children together. Ironically, other than for a few publicity shots taken on the grounds of the estate when it was freshly restored, the ’34 Speedster hasn’t been there in 10 years, spending the past decade on tour to various concours, car shows, and museums. Edsel found out that as good as the front end looked, some of the sheetmetal partially blocked air flow to the radiator, and the engine would overheat in the Florida sun. Gregorie shortened the vertical grille, added a lower, horizontal grille that echoed his design for the ’39 Continental, and flanked the lower grille with two large headlights.
For a long time it was thought to have been scrapped, but in reality the wreck ended up in a Bridgeport, Connecticut, junk shop. A body man, John Cox, bought it and repaired the damage using fenders from a 1935–36 Chevrolet and a stock, flat Ford grille shell. Henry and Clara Ford had only one child, their son Edsel, whom Henry alternately doted on and kept under his thumb. Despite Henry’s interference, the senior Ford had little interest in design, which gave Edsel enough space to become one of the fathers of automotive styling. While he never personally styled a production car—instead relying on the talent of Eugene T.
The car’s remarkably low proportions are accentuated by cut-down Brooklands-style racing windscreens. The radiator was fully enclosed in the bodywork, which featured small, low-mounted headlights that were faired in to the sheetmetal. He was so happy with it that he and Gregorie discussed the possibility of selling it as a limited-production performance Ford.
The Interior and Furnishings
Bring a picnic and sit on the lawn, watch the boats on Lake St. Clair, stroll through the gardens, marvel at the beautiful architecture, and soak in the open spaces and wooded areas. As Ford Motor Company’s secretary, and later in 1919 as its president, Edsel was known as an even-tempered executive — always a gentleman. Perhaps fatally, the Edsel came out as America was sliding into a recession. The public was suddenly looking for smaller, more affordable cars -- not the chrome-plated fire breathers that were the metier of 1950s Detroit. In addition to charity work, Ford amassed a noted art collection, including paintings by Van Gogh, Renoir and Picasso.
Take a tour and see the house for yourself.
How was I going to share this with you, my readers, and lovers of historic places like myself. Connect with Ford House on Facebook and Instagram at @eefordhouse and Twitter at @fordhouse. Please support this magazine of trusted historical writing, now in its 75th year, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to American Heritage. Ford House is a home of stories waiting to be uncovered, a collection of moments, big and small, that we can’t wait for you to discover.
Nestled along the scenic shores of Lake St. Clair lies the illustrious Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, an architectural masterpiece and emblem of American history. This storied estate beckons with its timeless elegance, boasting breathtaking gardens, extraordinary interiors, and a legacy steeped in innovation and cultural influence. Beyond its historic significance as a home designed by renowned architects, it stands as a testament to the Ford family’s passion for art, design, and philanthropy. A visit to Ford House is an invitation to immerse oneself in a bygone era of sophistication, innovation, and the enduring legacy of an American dynasty.
Eleanor wanted the estate to be used for the benefit of the public, and the house, in its original condition, and grounds are open for guided tours. Additionally, the house also hosts special events, lectures, and classes. The estate provided a place for the Fords to relax, raise children and pursue personal interests, shielded from the demands of their public lives. As steadfast supporters of the community, arts and other philanthropic endeavors, the Fords generously donated to education and medical research while contributing immeasurably to the growth of Detroit's cultural resources. Thanks to the generosity of Eleanor Ford, one of their most treasured resources - their home - remains to enrich the lives of future generations.
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