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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.
Edsel & Eleanor Ford House
The ’34 Speedster is the definition of coherent design, and wouldn’t look out of place on a 1930s-era race track. Another pure speedster, in order to maintain the low look, it had no provisions for a roof, but then Edsel only drove it on sunny days, often in Florida. The grille, windscreen, and hood louvers are all at the same rakish angle. A valence panel, attached to the body with precisely spaced, aircraft-style rivets, covers the frame as it gently curves from front to back.
Take a tour and see the house for yourself.
The Edsel Eleanor Ford House, a Cotswold-style mansion on Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, is a surprising blend of the conventional and the extraordinary. The house was also the very private domain of one of America's wealthiest families, invisible behind spreading lawns and stone gates and rarely photographed for a half century. Today it stands open, preserved and polished—a window on the grandeur of America's industrial aristocracy and the unexpectedly rich aesthetic lives of Eleanor and Edsel Ford. The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, located at 1100 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Shores, was the home of the family of Eleanor Clay Ford and Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford and president of Ford Motor Company.
Gardens
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.
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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.
Members of the Historic Vehicle Assn. set off Saturday to re-create the 3,500-mile drive that then-21-year-old Edsel Ford made from Detroit to San Francisco’s international expo in 1915. Edsel died at age 49 of stomach cancer and was survived by Eleanor and their four children. The only child of Clara and Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, Edsel was born in 1893 — the same year his father made his first gasoline engine. From riding in his father’s experimental Quadricycle as a toddler to driving on his own by age 12, Edsel grew up with the automobile industry.
Group Tours at Ford House
Karr said the Ford House plans to keep the public informed on the progress of the project through educational programs for children and adults. Discover the inspiration of Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, where picturesque architecture surrounded by beautiful landscapes takes you inside the story one of America’s most prominent automotive families. Edsel Ford – the only son of Henry and Clara Ford – became president of Ford Motor Company in 1919 at the age of 25. Explore the house and grounds on one of our regular and seasonal guided tours.
Tour Information
Ford House hosting new event 'Home for the Holidays' this winter - FOX 2 Detroit
Ford House hosting new event 'Home for the Holidays' this winter.
Posted: Mon, 09 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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.
Encyclopedia Of Detroit
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.
The bottom of the radiator grille was vee’d forward, presaging the grille on the 1933 Ford, as did the Speedster’s slanted hood louvers and suicide doors. Anticipating, or perhaps inspiring, “shaved” hot rods, Edsel’s ’32 Speedster has no exterior door handles. The windshield was raked and pointed, predating trends that would appear later in California customs.
The battered flag first hoisted at the South Pole is displayed along with a note of thanks to Ford from Admiral Byrd for underwriting the expedition and developing the plane that made it possible. After Edsel died in 1943 at the age of forty-nine, his widow gave orders that the fire never be lit again. The house has undergone multiple large scale restoration projects, including new roofing which was conducted by a firm from England using five professional masons. The roof was torn down to the base wood all of which was replaced where needed. The stone was selected to match the existing stone from the same quarry as the original. Eleanor and Edsel Ford designed their estate at Gaukler Pointe to reflect their public roles and private values – grand and gracious, a stately mansion inspired by cozy cottages.
Skinner estimated that from 5,000 to 6,000 Edsels remain in circulation. That’s a high survival rate for a car that had a total production run of less than 111,000, and it helps hold down the prices of the more common versions. “I got pulled over for speeding on my first drive,” he said.
Of course, there was a time when both the 1932 and ’34 Edsel Ford Speedsters were also thought to be lost to history. Thankfully they have not, and you can see them together with the ’39 Continental prototype. The Ford House and its new Visitor Center are open Sundays from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
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