Grosse Pointe
Encyclopedia
Grosse Pointe refers to a coastal area in Metro Detroit
, Michigan
, United States
that comprises five adjacent individual communities. From southwest to northeast, they are:
The terms "Grosse Pointe" or "the Pointes" are ordinarily used to refer to the entire area, referencing all five individual communities, with a total population of about 46,000. The Grosse Pointes altogether are 10.4 square miles, bordered by Detroit on the south and west, Lake St. Clair
on the east and south, Harper Woods
on the west of some portions, and St. Clair Shores
on the north. The cities are in eastern Wayne County
. The Pointes begin six miles (10 km) northeast of downtown Detroit and extend several miles northeastward, in a narrow swath of land, to the edge of Wayne County
. The name "Grosse Pointe" derives from the size of the area, and its projection into Lake St. Clair.
Grosse Pointe is one of the most affluent suburban areas
in Metro Detroit
, sharing a border with northeast Detroit's historic neighborhoods. Grosse Pointe has many famous historic estates along with remodeled homes and newer construction. On the coast of Lake St. Clair, the area has a waterfront allure. Downtown Grosse Pointe
, along Kercheval Avenue from Neff to Cadieux, nicknamed "The Village," serves as a central business district for all five of the Grosse Pointes, although each of them (except Grosse Pointe Shores) has several blocks of retail. Downtown Detroit is just over seven miles (11 km) west of this downtown area, accessed by Jefferson Avenue, or several other cross-streets.
The north-south area along Lake St. Clair
generally coincides with the boundaries of the two high schools. The southern areas (basically south and west of Moross Road) feature retail districts.
Grosse Pointe, recognized for its historic reputation for scenery and landscape, has grown from a colonial outpost and a fertile area for small orchard owners and farmers to a coastal community with prime real estate chosen for grand estates.
The Grosse Pointes were first settled by French
farmers in the 1750s after the establishment of the French Fort Pontchartrain. Members of the British empire
began arriving around the time of the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century Grosse Pointe continued to be the site of lakefront ribbon farm
s (which are long narrow farms that each adjoin the lake, useful for irrigation and early transportation needs). Beginning in the 1850s, wealthy residents of Detroit began building second homes in the Grosse Pointe area, and soon afterward, hunting
, fishing
, and golf
clubs appeared. Some grand estates arose in the late 19th century, and with the dawn of the automobile
after 1900, Grosse Pointe became a preferred suburb
for business executives in addition to a retreat for wealthy Detroiters. By the 1930s, most of the southern and western areas of Grosse Pointe contained established neighborhoods, with remaining gaps and the northern sections such as Grosse Pointe Woods developing after the 1930s.
A passenger rail
line that connected Detroit to Mt. Clemens along the shore was operational by the late 1890s, making Grosse Pointe more accessible. As the automobile
became the primary method of transportation and the rail line decomissioned, the vista of what became Lake Shore Drive gradually improved. Lakeside estates are accessed from Lake Shore Drive and Jefferson Avenue.
Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, Grosse Pointe has gained a reputation as a notable American suburb; entrepreneurial leadership, recreational activities afforded by the Great Lakes
waterway, an international border with Canada
, and a focus on quality of education
contributed to the successful development of the region. The Russell Alger, Jr., House, at 32 Lake Shore Dr., serves as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial
. Grosse Pointe contains fifteen recognized Michigan historical markers.
"The Village", a three-block strip of Kercheval Avenue in Grosse Pointe
serves as a central business district for the five Pointes with traditional street-side shopping. The Village has its own Sanders Candy and Desert Shop
, founded by Frederick Sanders Schmidt who opened a store Detroit in 1875. The Village has become a vibrant district with the emergence of mixed-use developments (more information at the Grosse Pointe
page). Grosse Pointe Farms is home to "The Hill" district, located on a small bluff, which includes offices, stores, restaurants and the main branch of the public library
. Near its "Cabbage Patch" rental district, Grosse Pointe Park has retail and restaurants on multiple cross-streets, as well as a farmer's market held weekly during the warm months. Grosse Pointe Woods' main business district lies along one of its main roads, Mack Avenue.
The recreational lifestyle historically associated with Grosse Pointe has given rise to many private clubs. The Country Club of Detroit in Grosse Pointe Farms features a notable classic course, tennis
, and traditional amenities. The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
, at the intersection of Vernier Rd. and Lakeshore Dr. on Lake St. Clair
, is an acclaimed boating club. The Grosse Pointe Club, also called the "Little Club," is a highly exclusive, historic club on the lakefront, on a site where wealthy Detroiters and Grosse Pointers have gathered for recreation since its organization in 1885, when Grosse Pointe was a cottage-town. The Lochmoor Club is another club in Grosse Pointe which has an expansive golf course and other amenities. The Hunt Club is the equestrian club of Grosse Pointe. It houses an impressive number of horses and stables for the suburban area.
Many prominent Detroiters, members of the Ford family, including Edsel Ford
(son of Henry Ford
) and his wife, Eleanor Clay Ford, as well as Henry Ford II
(grandson of Henry Ford), have chosen to reside in Grosse Pointe. The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
, at 1100 Lake Shore Drive, is open to the public for guided tours.
Each city has at least one municipal park along Lake St. Clair. The landlocked Grosse Pointe Woods has its park at the southern tip of St. Clair Shores, adjacent to Grosse Pointe Shores. Access to each of these parks is restricted to residents of its municipality, causing occasional controversy among residents of both Grosse Pointe and other neighborhoods in Metro Detroit. Jefferson Avenue
, a major thoroughfare in Detroit, becomes Lakeshore Drive between Grosse Pointe Farms and Grosse Pointe Shores, and is the scenic carriageway of all five Grosse Pointes, after skirting the eastern neighborhoods of Detroit. Lakeshore Drive was featured on HGTV
's television program Dream Drives and in the films Grosse Pointe Blank
and Gran Torino.
The region is home to University Liggett School
, Michigan's oldest independent school
, and two high schools: Grosse Pointe South High School
and Grosse Pointe North High School
, which are the termini of the Grosse Pointe Public School System
.
Newspaper
s and community organizations
generally serve all five cities, as do the public library
and school system, but municipal services
are separate. The Grosse Pointe News, on a weekly basis, and the Grosse Pointe Times, on a semi-weekly basis, publish local news, though the Detroit Free Press
and The Detroit News
provide the majority of regional, national and international news.
Grosse Pointe is frequently referenced in television
, film
and literature
, often as an icon of wealth
and luxury. Grosse Pointe is known for a very preppy lifestyle, including dress, auto, and homes. The classic "preppy/old money" style is extremely popular in the area.
The Grosse Pointe area is the setting of two novels by writer Jeffrey Eugenides
: The Virgin Suicides
, which is satirical of his high school, University Liggett School
, and Middlesex
. Grosse Pointe was also featured in Lisa Birnbach
's Official Preppy Handbook
for its preppy
qualities. Included were references to a stereotypical way of speech, the "Grosse Pointe Monotone," and a guide to private clubs and restaurants in the area. A novel, Grosse Pointe Girl, was written by Grosse Pointe native Sarah Grace McCandless.
The 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank
is set almost entirely in Grosse Pointe and shows scenes of Detroit and Grosse Pointe, but was filmed in Chicago
and Monrovia, California. The film stars John Cusack
, Minnie Driver
, Joan Cusack
, and Dan Aykroyd
. John Cusack
played the role of a 1986 Grosse Pointe South high school graduate turned assassin who returns to the Pointes after a long absence. The opening drive sequence was filmed on location in Grosse Pointe, along Lakeshore Drive
, as was a brief scene depicting Grosse Pointe South High School. This same road was featured in Michael Moore
's 1989 film Roger & Me
, and in the 2009 film Gran Torino starring Clint Eastwood
. Gran Torino is set in modern Detroit and its inner suburbs, and several scenes were shot across the Grosse Pointes, particularly Grosse Pointe Park.
A number of television programs make reference to the region, most notably Grosse Pointe
starring Lindsay Sloane
, Bonnie Somerville
, and Nat Faxon
. It aired on The WB Television Network
in 2000 and 2001. In the television series Northern Exposure
, pilot Maggie McConnell was a native Grosse Pointer who had moved to Alaska
. In the Nickelodeon
program Hey Dude
, the character of Brad Taylor was from Grosse Pointe. The 1980s "21 Jump Street," with a very young Johnny Depp, mentioned Grosse Pointe in the first season when the show supposedly took place in Detroit. Finally, in an episode of the Simpsons, Homer yells, "Go back to Grosse Pointe" to a bunch of deer that he thinks are fur coat wearing tourists.
. Rose Terrace (1934–1976), the mansion of Anna Dodge, once stood at 12 Lakeshore Dr. in Grosse Pointe. Designed by Horace Trumbauer
as a Louis XV styled château
, Rose Terrace was an enlarged version of the firm's Miramar in Newport, RI. A developer, the highest bidder for Rose Terrace, demolished it in 1976 to create an upscale neighborhood. This gave a renewed sense of urgency to preservationists. The Dodge Collection from Rose Terrace may be viewed at the Detroit Institute of Arts
. The Italian Renaissance
styled Russell A. Alger
House (1910), at 32 Lakeshore Dr., by architect Charles A. Platt
serves as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Many noted architects designed works in Grosse Pointe including Albert Kahn, Marcel Breuer
, Marcus Burrowes
, Chittendon and Kotting, Crombie & Stanton, Wallace Frost, Robert O. Derrick, John M. Donaldson
, Louis Kamper
, August Geiger
, William Kessler, Hugh T. Keyes, George D. Mason
, Charles A. Platt
, Leonard Willeke, Eliel and Eero Saarinen
, Field, Hinchman, and Smith, William Buck Stratton, and Minoru Yamasaki
. Included below are examples of some of Grosse Pointe's many historic structures.
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that comprises five adjacent individual communities. From southwest to northeast, they are:
- Grosse Pointe ParkGrosse Pointe Park, MichiganGrosse Pointe Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,555 at the 2010 census. Bordering on Detroit with frontage on southern Lake Saint Clair, it is the westernmost of the noted Grosse Pointe suburbs, with the oldest overall housing stock of the five cities...
, city - Grosse PointeGrosse Pointe, MichiganGrosse Pointe is a suburban city bordering Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city covers just over one square mile, and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe...
, city - Grosse Pointe FarmsGrosse Pointe Farms, MichiganGrosse Pointe Farms is a suburban city bordering Detroit located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It ranks as the 76th highest-income city in America. The population was 9,479 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Grosse Pointe on the west, Detroit on the north, Grosse Pointe Woods...
, city - Grosse Pointe ShoresGrosse Pointe Shores, MichiganGrosse Pointe Shores is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. With only land area, the city is the smallest of the five Grosse Pointe communities. The city, which is entirely residential, is the location of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club on Lake Saint Clair. The city's population was 3,008 at the...
, city (incorporated in 2009 from the remnants of two townships, Grosse Pointe TownshipGrosse Pointe Township, MichiganGrosse Pointe Township was a civil township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Originally including all of the Grosse Pointe communities, and the northeastern portion of the City of Detroit, in its later years, it is was reduced to the portion of the village of Grosse Pointe Shores...
in Wayne CountyWayne County, Michigan-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
and Lake TownshipLake Township, Macomb County, MichiganLake Township is a former civil township located in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The small township consisted of 0.6 mi² of the Macomb County portion of the village of Gross Pointe Shores, which was part of Grosse Pointe Township and mostly located in Wayne County on the western...
in Macomb CountyMacomb County, Michigan-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 788,149 people, 309,203 households, and 210,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,640 people per square mile . There were 320,276 housing units at an average density of 667 per square mile...
). - Grosse Pointe WoodsGrosse Pointe Woods, MichiganGrosse Pointe Woods is a suburban city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan, comprising a large portion of the Grosse Pointe communities. The population was 16,135 at the 2010 census...
, city
The terms "Grosse Pointe" or "the Pointes" are ordinarily used to refer to the entire area, referencing all five individual communities, with a total population of about 46,000. The Grosse Pointes altogether are 10.4 square miles, bordered by Detroit on the south and west, Lake St. Clair
Lake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...
on the east and south, Harper Woods
Harper Woods, Michigan
Harper Woods is a city located on the eastside of suburban Detroit, Michigan, United States. The city is located in Wayne County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 14,236.- History :...
on the west of some portions, and St. Clair Shores
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake St. Clair in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located approximately northeast of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,715. The current mayor is...
on the north. The cities are in eastern Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
. The Pointes begin six miles (10 km) northeast of downtown Detroit and extend several miles northeastward, in a narrow swath of land, to the edge of Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
. The name "Grosse Pointe" derives from the size of the area, and its projection into Lake St. Clair.
Grosse Pointe is one of the most affluent suburban areas
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
, sharing a border with northeast Detroit's historic neighborhoods. Grosse Pointe has many famous historic estates along with remodeled homes and newer construction. On the coast of Lake St. Clair, the area has a waterfront allure. Downtown Grosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Grosse Pointe is a suburban city bordering Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city covers just over one square mile, and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe...
, along Kercheval Avenue from Neff to Cadieux, nicknamed "The Village," serves as a central business district for all five of the Grosse Pointes, although each of them (except Grosse Pointe Shores) has several blocks of retail. Downtown Detroit is just over seven miles (11 km) west of this downtown area, accessed by Jefferson Avenue, or several other cross-streets.
The north-south area along Lake St. Clair
Lake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...
generally coincides with the boundaries of the two high schools. The southern areas (basically south and west of Moross Road) feature retail districts.
History
The Grosse Pointes were first settled by French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
farmers in the 1750s after the establishment of the French Fort Pontchartrain. Members of the British empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
began arriving around the time of the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century Grosse Pointe continued to be the site of lakefront ribbon farm
Ribbon farm
Ribbon farms are long, narrow land divisions, usually lined up along a waterway. In some instances, they line a road.-Description:...
s (which are long narrow farms that each adjoin the lake, useful for irrigation and early transportation needs). Beginning in the 1850s, wealthy residents of Detroit began building second homes in the Grosse Pointe area, and soon afterward, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
clubs appeared. Some grand estates arose in the late 19th century, and with the dawn of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
after 1900, Grosse Pointe became a preferred suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
for business executives in addition to a retreat for wealthy Detroiters. By the 1930s, most of the southern and western areas of Grosse Pointe contained established neighborhoods, with remaining gaps and the northern sections such as Grosse Pointe Woods developing after the 1930s.
A passenger rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
line that connected Detroit to Mt. Clemens along the shore was operational by the late 1890s, making Grosse Pointe more accessible. As the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
became the primary method of transportation and the rail line decomissioned, the vista of what became Lake Shore Drive gradually improved. Lakeside estates are accessed from Lake Shore Drive and Jefferson Avenue.
Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, Grosse Pointe has gained a reputation as a notable American suburb; entrepreneurial leadership, recreational activities afforded by the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
waterway, an international border with Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and a focus on quality of education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
contributed to the successful development of the region. The Russell Alger, Jr., House, at 32 Lake Shore Dr., serves as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial
Grosse Pointe War Memorial
The Grosse Pointe War Memorial, also known as the Russell A. Alger, Jr. House and as the Moorings was dedicated to the memory of veterans and soldiers of World War II. It is located at 32 Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. It was built in 1910 and served as the family home of Russell A....
. Grosse Pointe contains fifteen recognized Michigan historical markers.
Culture and contemporary life
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Grosse Pointe is a suburban city bordering Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city covers just over one square mile, and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe...
serves as a central business district for the five Pointes with traditional street-side shopping. The Village has its own Sanders Candy and Desert Shop
Sanders Confectionery
Sanders Confectionery is a company formed in Detroit in 1875, best known to those in the midwestern United States for its assortment of ice cream, toppings, bumpy cakes and candies...
, founded by Frederick Sanders Schmidt who opened a store Detroit in 1875. The Village has become a vibrant district with the emergence of mixed-use developments (more information at the Grosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Grosse Pointe is a suburban city bordering Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city covers just over one square mile, and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe...
page). Grosse Pointe Farms is home to "The Hill" district, located on a small bluff, which includes offices, stores, restaurants and the main branch of the public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
. Near its "Cabbage Patch" rental district, Grosse Pointe Park has retail and restaurants on multiple cross-streets, as well as a farmer's market held weekly during the warm months. Grosse Pointe Woods' main business district lies along one of its main roads, Mack Avenue.
The recreational lifestyle historically associated with Grosse Pointe has given rise to many private clubs. The Country Club of Detroit in Grosse Pointe Farms features a notable classic course, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and traditional amenities. The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club is a private marina and sailing club founded in 1914 and located on the shore of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan. It originated in 1914 through the efforts of a group of 25 sailing and iceboating enthusiasts....
, at the intersection of Vernier Rd. and Lakeshore Dr. on Lake St. Clair
Lake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...
, is an acclaimed boating club. The Grosse Pointe Club, also called the "Little Club," is a highly exclusive, historic club on the lakefront, on a site where wealthy Detroiters and Grosse Pointers have gathered for recreation since its organization in 1885, when Grosse Pointe was a cottage-town. The Lochmoor Club is another club in Grosse Pointe which has an expansive golf course and other amenities. The Hunt Club is the equestrian club of Grosse Pointe. It houses an impressive number of horses and stables for the suburban area.
Edsel Ford
Edsel Bryant Ford , son of Henry Ford, was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943.-Life and career:...
(son of Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
) and his wife, Eleanor Clay Ford, as well as Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
(grandson of Henry Ford), have chosen to reside in Grosse Pointe. The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, which is named "Gaukler Point" - is on the shore of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, northeast of Detroit, Michigan, the United States. It became the new residence of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford family in 1929. Edsel Ford was the son of Henry Ford and an...
, at 1100 Lake Shore Drive, is open to the public for guided tours.
Each city has at least one municipal park along Lake St. Clair. The landlocked Grosse Pointe Woods has its park at the southern tip of St. Clair Shores, adjacent to Grosse Pointe Shores. Access to each of these parks is restricted to residents of its municipality, causing occasional controversy among residents of both Grosse Pointe and other neighborhoods in Metro Detroit. Jefferson Avenue
Jefferson Avenue (Detroit)
Jefferson Avenue is a scenic road along the eastern part of the Detroit metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It travels alongside Lake Erie, the Detroit River, and Lake Saint Clair. This road also provides access to many recreational facilities in the area...
, a major thoroughfare in Detroit, becomes Lakeshore Drive between Grosse Pointe Farms and Grosse Pointe Shores, and is the scenic carriageway of all five Grosse Pointes, after skirting the eastern neighborhoods of Detroit. Lakeshore Drive was featured on HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
's television program Dream Drives and in the films Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 American Black comedy film, directed by George Armitage, and starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver.In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Grosse Pointe Blank the 21st greatest comedy film of all time. The film's soundtrack features mainly independent music hits...
and Gran Torino.
The region is home to University Liggett School
University Liggett School
University Liggett School, also known as ULS and Liggett, is a private, secular school inGrosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1878, it is Michigan's oldest independent coeducational day school....
, Michigan's oldest independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, and two high schools: Grosse Pointe South High School
Grosse Pointe South High School
Grosse Pointe South High School , commonly called South, is one of two public high schools located in the Grosse Pointes, suburban cities adjacent to Detroit, Michigan. At the corner of Fisher Road and Grosse Pointe Blvd in Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe High School, the first public high...
and Grosse Pointe North High School
Grosse Pointe North High School
Grosse Pointe North High School, commonly called North, is a public high school in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The school opened in 1968 after Grosse Pointe High School was split into two schools, and Grosse Pointe North took the northern side of Grosse Pointe's students and...
, which are the termini of the Grosse Pointe Public School System
Grosse Pointe Public School System
Grosse Pointe Public School System is a school district headquartered in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.-High schools:* Grosse Pointe North High School * Grosse Pointe South High School -Middle schools:...
.
Newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s and community organizations
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
generally serve all five cities, as do the public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
and school system, but municipal services
Municipal services
Municipal services or city services refer to basic services that residents of a city expect the city government to provide in exchange for the taxes which citizens pay. Basic city services may include sanitation , water, streets, schools, food inspection fire department, police, ambulance, and...
are separate. The Grosse Pointe News, on a weekly basis, and the Grosse Pointe Times, on a semi-weekly basis, publish local news, though the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
and The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
provide the majority of regional, national and international news.
In popular culture
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, often as an icon of wealth
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...
and luxury. Grosse Pointe is known for a very preppy lifestyle, including dress, auto, and homes. The classic "preppy/old money" style is extremely popular in the area.
The Grosse Pointe area is the setting of two novels by writer Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Kent Eugenides is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and short story writer. Eugenides is most known for his first two novels, The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex . His novel The Marriage Plot was published in October, 2011.-Life and career:Eugenides was born in Detroit, Michigan,...
: The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides is the 1993 debut novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides. The story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers on the suicides of five sisters. The Lisbon girls' suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for...
, which is satirical of his high school, University Liggett School
University Liggett School
University Liggett School, also known as ULS and Liggett, is a private, secular school inGrosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1878, it is Michigan's oldest independent coeducational day school....
, and Middlesex
Middlesex (novel)
Middlesex is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides published in 2002. The book is a bestseller, with more than three million copies sold as of May 2011. Its characters and events are loosely based on aspects of Eugenides' life and observations of his Greek heritage. It is...
. Grosse Pointe was also featured in Lisa Birnbach
Lisa Birnbach
Lisa R. Birnbach is an author best known for co-authoring The Official Preppy Handbook, which spent 38 weeks at number one on the New York Times bestseller list in 1980.-Career:...
's Official Preppy Handbook
Official Preppy Handbook
The Official Preppy Handbook is a tongue-in-cheek humor reference guide written by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Lisa Birnbach. It discusses an aspect of North American culture described as prepdom...
for its preppy
Preppy
Preppy, preppie, or prep refers to a modern, widespread United States clique, often considered a subculture...
qualities. Included were references to a stereotypical way of speech, the "Grosse Pointe Monotone," and a guide to private clubs and restaurants in the area. A novel, Grosse Pointe Girl, was written by Grosse Pointe native Sarah Grace McCandless.
The 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 American Black comedy film, directed by George Armitage, and starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver.In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Grosse Pointe Blank the 21st greatest comedy film of all time. The film's soundtrack features mainly independent music hits...
is set almost entirely in Grosse Pointe and shows scenes of Detroit and Grosse Pointe, but was filmed in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Monrovia, California. The film stars John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
, Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver is an English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, as well as for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in the television series The Riches.- Early life...
, Joan Cusack
Joan Cusack
Joan Mary Cusack is an American film, stage and television actress. Throughout her career, Cusack has appeared in many films as well as appearing in stage productions....
, and Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
. John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
played the role of a 1986 Grosse Pointe South high school graduate turned assassin who returns to the Pointes after a long absence. The opening drive sequence was filmed on location in Grosse Pointe, along Lakeshore Drive
Jefferson Avenue (Detroit)
Jefferson Avenue is a scenic road along the eastern part of the Detroit metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It travels alongside Lake Erie, the Detroit River, and Lake Saint Clair. This road also provides access to many recreational facilities in the area...
, as was a brief scene depicting Grosse Pointe South High School. This same road was featured in Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
's 1989 film Roger & Me
Roger & Me
Roger & Me is a 1989 American documentary film directed by Michael Moore. Moore portrays the regional negative economic impact of General Motors CEO Roger Smith's summary action of closing several auto plants in Flint, Michigan, costing 30,000 people their jobs at the time and economically...
, and in the 2009 film Gran Torino starring Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
. Gran Torino is set in modern Detroit and its inner suburbs, and several scenes were shot across the Grosse Pointes, particularly Grosse Pointe Park.
A number of television programs make reference to the region, most notably Grosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe (TV series)
Grosse Pointe is an American television parody series which aired on the WB Network during the 2000-2001 television season. Created by Darren Star, it was a satire depicting the behind-the-scenes drama on the set of a television show, and was inspired in large part by Star's experiences as the...
starring Lindsay Sloane
Lindsay Sloane
Lindsay Sloane is an American actress. She is known for her role as Big Red in the first Bring It On and as Valerie Birkhead on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch .-Personal life:...
, Bonnie Somerville
Bonnie Somerville
Bonnie Somerville is an American actress and singer. As an actress, she has had roles in a number of movies and television series, most notably NYPD Blue, Grosse Pointe, Friends, The O.C. and Cashmere Mafia....
, and Nat Faxon
Nat Faxon
-Life and career:Faxon is a graduate of Holderness School and Hamilton College, he is best known for his appearances in comedic films such as Orange County , Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story , and several Broken Lizard films including Beerfest...
. It aired on The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
in 2000 and 2001. In the television series Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
, pilot Maggie McConnell was a native Grosse Pointer who had moved to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. In the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
program Hey Dude
Hey Dude
Hey Dude is an American Western comedy series that aired from 1989 to 1991. The show was broadcast on the Nickelodeon network, and currently airs reruns on Teen Nick...
, the character of Brad Taylor was from Grosse Pointe. The 1980s "21 Jump Street," with a very young Johnny Depp, mentioned Grosse Pointe in the first season when the show supposedly took place in Detroit. Finally, in an episode of the Simpsons, Homer yells, "Go back to Grosse Pointe" to a bunch of deer that he thinks are fur coat wearing tourists.
Architecture
Grosse Pointe has a significant collection of historic architecture as well as many newer mansions. Albert Kahn designed the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House (1927) at 1100 Lakeshore Dr. in Grosse PointeGrosse Pointe, Michigan
Grosse Pointe is a suburban city bordering Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city covers just over one square mile, and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe...
. Rose Terrace (1934–1976), the mansion of Anna Dodge, once stood at 12 Lakeshore Dr. in Grosse Pointe. Designed by Horace Trumbauer
Horace Trumbauer
Horace Trumbauer was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of the campus of Duke University...
as a Louis XV styled château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
, Rose Terrace was an enlarged version of the firm's Miramar in Newport, RI. A developer, the highest bidder for Rose Terrace, demolished it in 1976 to create an upscale neighborhood. This gave a renewed sense of urgency to preservationists. The Dodge Collection from Rose Terrace may be viewed at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
. The Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
styled Russell A. Alger
Russell A. Alger
Russell Alexander Alger was the 20th Governor and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan and also U.S. Secretary of War during the Presidential administration of William McKinley...
House (1910), at 32 Lakeshore Dr., by architect Charles A. Platt
Charles A. Platt
Charles Adams Platt was a prominent artist, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture.-Early career:...
serves as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Many noted architects designed works in Grosse Pointe including Albert Kahn, Marcel Breuer
Marcel Breuer
Marcel Lajos Breuer , was a Hungarian-born modernist, architect and furniture designer of Jewish descent. One of the masters of Modernism, Breuer displayed interest in modular construction and simple forms.- Life and work :Known to his friends and associates as Lajkó, Breuer studied and taught at...
, Marcus Burrowes
Marcus Burrowes
Marcus R. Burrowes was a notable Detroit architect. He served one year in the position of president of the Michigan Society of Architects and was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects...
, Chittendon and Kotting, Crombie & Stanton, Wallace Frost, Robert O. Derrick, John M. Donaldson
John M. Donaldson
John M. Donaldson was an American architect and artist born on January 17, 1854, in Stirling, Scotland. Donaldson was principal designer of the successful Detroit-based architectural firm Donaldson and Meier from 1880 onwards.-Early years:...
, Louis Kamper
Louis Kamper
Louis Kamper was an American architect, active in and aroundDetroit and Wayne County, Michigan, in the United States.-Project range:...
, August Geiger
August Geiger
August Geiger was one of the most prominent American architects in South Florida from 1905 to the late 1940s. He experimented in Mission, Neo-Renaissance and Art Deco architecture, but is most noted for his works in the Mediterranean Revival style.-Life:Geiger was born in New Haven, Connecticut,...
, William Kessler, Hugh T. Keyes, George D. Mason
George D. Mason
George DeWitt Mason was an American architect who practiced in Detroit, Michigan in the latter part of the 19th and early decades of the 20th centuries.Mason was born in Syracuse, New York , the son of James H. and Zelda E. Mason...
, Charles A. Platt
Charles A. Platt
Charles Adams Platt was a prominent artist, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture.-Early career:...
, Leonard Willeke, Eliel and Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
, Field, Hinchman, and Smith, William Buck Stratton, and Minoru Yamasaki
Minoru Yamasaki
was a Japanese-American architect, best known for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, buildings 1 and 2. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century...
. Included below are examples of some of Grosse Pointe's many historic structures.
Landmarks
| Name | Image | Year | Location | Style | Architect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grosse Pointe Academy Grosse Pointe Academy The Grosse Pointe Academy is an independent day school located at 171 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Originally known as the Academy of the Sacred Heart, the campus buildings were designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977 and listed on the National Register of... |
 |
1928 | 171 Lake Shore Dr. 42°23′35"N 82°53′37"W |
Tudor | William Schickel, Magginnis and Walsh |
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . Formerly known as the Academy of the Sacred Heart. |
| Country Club of Detroit | 1927 | 220 Country Club Dr. | Tudor | SmithGroup | ||
| Russell A. Alger Jr., House Grosse Pointe War Memorial The Grosse Pointe War Memorial, also known as the Russell A. Alger, Jr. House and as the Moorings was dedicated to the memory of veterans and soldiers of World War II. It is located at 32 Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. It was built in 1910 and served as the family home of Russell A.... |
 |
1910 | 32 Lake Shore Dr. 42°23′13"N 82°53′50"W |
Italian Renaissance Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe... |
Charles A. Platt Charles A. Platt Charles Adams Platt was a prominent artist, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture.-Early career:... |
Grosse Pointe War Memorial Grosse Pointe War Memorial The Grosse Pointe War Memorial, also known as the Russell A. Alger, Jr. House and as the Moorings was dedicated to the memory of veterans and soldiers of World War II. It is located at 32 Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. It was built in 1910 and served as the family home of Russell A.... . Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
| Beverly Road Historic District Beverly Road Historic District The Beverly Road Historic District is a historic district consisting of fifteen residential buildings located between 23 and 45 Beverly Road in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.- History:... |
 |
1911 | 23-45 Beverly Rd. 42°23′18"N 82°54′6"W |
Colonial Colonial Revival architecture The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own... , Neo-Renaissance Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes... , Tudor Tudor style architecture The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons... |
Albert Kahn, Robert O. Derrick, Raymond Carey, and Marcus Burrowes Marcus Burrowes Marcus R. Burrowes was a notable Detroit architect. He served one year in the position of president of the Michigan Society of Architects and was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects... , et al. |
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
| Ralph Harmon Booth House | 1924 | 315 Washington Road | Tudor Tudor style architecture The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons... , Jacobean Jacobean architecture The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:... |
Marcus Burrowes Marcus Burrowes Marcus R. Burrowes was a notable Detroit architect. He served one year in the position of president of the Michigan Society of Architects and was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects... |
Originally home of U.S Minister to Denmark, Detroit Institute of Arts Philanthropist, and brother of George Gough Booth George Gough Booth George Gough Booth was the publisher of the privately held Evening News Association, a co-founder of Booth Newspapers, and a noted philanthropist.-Publishing career:... , 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²). |
|
| JP Bowen House | 1927 | 16628 East Jefferson | French colonial French Colonial French Colonial a style of architecture used by the French during colonization. Many French colonies, especially those in South-East Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architecture as an asset for tourism, however in recent times, the new-generation of local authorities... |
Wallace Frost | A 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) lakefront estate. | |
| Buck-Wardwell House |  |
1840 | 16109 East Jefferson, at Three Mile | Colonial | William Buck William Buck William F. Buck was a professional baseball umpire.Buck umpired 2 National Association games in , as the home plate umpire in both games.-References:... |
The oldest extant brick house in Grosse Pointe, a large colonial home. |
| Christ Church Chapel Christ Church Chapel The Christ Church Chapel is a religious building located at 61 Grosse Pointe Rd. in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. It is also known as the Christ Church Grosse Pointe or the Christ Episcopal Church... |
 |
1930 | 61 Grosse Pointe Rd. 42°23′29"N 82°54′3"W |
Neo-Gothic | Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
| Defer Elementary School Defer Elementary School Defer Elementary School is a school building located at 15425 Kercheval in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1996 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.- History :... |
15425 Kercheval 42°23′0.01"N 82°56′6.66"W |
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
||||
| Charles A. Dean House- "Ridgeland" | 1924 | 221 Lewiston. | Mediterranean, Tuscan Tuscan order Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di... |
Hugh T. Keyes | A 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) hillside estate. | |
| Paul Harvey Deming House Paul Harvey Deming House The Paul Harvey Deming House was a private residence located at 111 Lake Shore Rd. in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan... "Cherryhurst" |
 |
1907 | 111 Lake Shore Dr. 42°23′30"N 82°53′40"W |
Tudor | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
|
| C. Goodlee Edgar House | 1910 | 880 Lake Shore Dr. | Colonial Revival Colonial Revival architecture The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own... |
Albert Kahn | ||
| Benson Ford House | 1934 | 635 Lake Shore Dr. | Georgian Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United... |
Hugh T. Keyes | The house is the former home of Benson Ford, grandson of Henry Ford. Also known as the Emory W. Clark House. | |
| Edsel and Eleanor Ford House Edsel and Eleanor Ford House The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, which is named "Gaukler Point" - is on the shore of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, northeast of Detroit, Michigan, the United States. It became the new residence of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford family in 1929. Edsel Ford was the son of Henry Ford and an... |
1927 | 1100 Lakeshore Dr. 42°27′21"N 82°52′26"W |
Cotswold Cotswold stone Cotswold stone is a yellow oolitic limestone quarried in many places in the Cotswold Hills in the south midlands of England. When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as 'honey' or 'golden'.... |
Albert Kahn, Jens Jensen Jens Jensen Jens August Jensen was an Australian politician and Minister for the Navy.Jensen was born in Ballarat, Victoria and educated at Ballarat, leaving school at 11. He became a rabbit-hawker and miner at Beaconsfield, Tasmania. In July 1885 he married Elizabeth Frances Broadhurst; she died in 1894... |
President of Ford Motor Company, son of Henry Ford Henry Ford Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry... , the 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) estate is open to the public for guided tours. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... , located in Macomb County. |
|
| Henry Ford II Henry Ford II Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford... House |
1957 | 160 Provencal Rd. | Georgian Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United... |
The house has 9723 square feet (903.3 m²) and is the former home of Henry Ford II Henry Ford II Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford... , Chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company, grandson of Henry Ford. |
||
| Grosse Pointe South High School Grosse Pointe South High School Grosse Pointe South High School , commonly called South, is one of two public high schools located in the Grosse Pointes, suburban cities adjacent to Detroit, Michigan. At the corner of Fisher Road and Grosse Pointe Blvd in Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe High School, the first public high... |
 |
1928 | 11 Grosse Pointe Blvd. 42°23′27"N 82°54′8"W |
Georgian Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United... |
George J. Haas | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
| Grosse Pointe Memorial Church Grosse Pointe Memorial Church The Grosse Pointe Memorial Church is a church located at 16 Lake Shore Dr. in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1990 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.-History:... |
 |
1927 | 16 Lake Shore Dr. | Neo-Gothic | William E.N. Hunter | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
| Grosse Pointe Yacht Club Grosse Pointe Yacht Club The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club is a private marina and sailing club founded in 1914 and located on the shore of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan. It originated in 1914 through the efforts of a group of 25 sailing and iceboating enthusiasts.... |
1929 | Lake Shore Dr. at Vernier | Venetian Venetian Gothic architecture Venetian Gothic is a term given to an architectural style combining use of the Gothic lancet arch with Byzantine and Moorish architecture influences. The style originated in 14th century Venice with the confluence of Byzantine styles from Constantinople, Arab influences from Moorish Spain and early... |
Guy Lowell Guy Lowell Guy Lowell , American architect, was the son of Mary Walcott and Edward Jackson Lowell, and a member of Boston's well-known Lowell family.... |
||
| Henry B. Joy House | Lake Shore Dr. at Kerby | Albert Kahn | "Fair Acres" estate, home of the President of the Packard Motor Company Packard Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana... . |
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| J. Bell Moran House- "Bellmoor" | 1928 | 15420 Windmill Pointe Drive | Tudor | Robert O. Derrick | A 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) lakefront mansion, the centerpiece of the Windmill Pointe strand of mansions. | |
| Purdy-Kresge House | 1927 | 1012 Three Mile Drive | Tudor | Leonard Willeke | A 7700 square feet (715.4 m²) mansion along a notable row of large homes. | |
| Saint Paul Catholic Church Saint Paul Catholic Church (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan) The Saint Paul Catholic Church Complex is located at 157 Lake Shore Rd. in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. The group includes a French Gothic style church, a Neo-Tudor rectory, a Colonial Revival parish hall, a Neo-Tudor school building, and an Elizabethan Revival convent... |
 |
1899 | 157 Lake Shore Dr. 42°23′41"N 82°53′37"W |
French Gothic | Harry J. Rill | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
| Murray Sales House | 1917 | 251 Lincoln | Neo-Renaissance Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes... |
Louis Kamper Louis Kamper Louis Kamper was an American architect, active in and aroundDetroit and Wayne County, Michigan, in the United States.-Project range:... |
A white-stucco estate designed by the famed Washington Blvd. architect. | |
| Carl E. and Alice Candler Schmidt House Carl E. and Alice Candler Schmidt House The Carl E. and Alice Candler Schmidt House built in 1904 is a private home located at 301 Lake Shore Rd. in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The house is one of the oldest remaining properties in the Grosse Pointes to have a view of... |
 |
1904 | 301 Lake Shore Rd. 42°24′18"N 82°53′18"W |
Tudor | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
|
| William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House The William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House is a private house located at 938 Three Mile Dr. in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.-Description:The William B... |
 |
1927 | 938 Three Mile Dr. 42°22′43"N 82°55′24"W |
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
||
| "Kasteel Batavia" R.W. Judson House |  |
1927 | 15324 Windmill Pointe Drive. 42°21′46.22"N 82°55′30.63"W |
Tudor | Wallace Frost | A 9931 square feet (922.6 m²) lakefront mansion, Original site of the Windmill with one of the only remaining original French missionary pear trees. Home of the President of Continental Motors. |
| John T. Woodhouse House John T. Woodhouse House The John T. Woodhouse House is a private house located at 33 Old Brook Ln. in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Every year at Halloween, the current owners of the home put on an elaborate spooky charade for the kids with smoke... |
 |
33 Old Brook Ln. 42°24′24"N 82°53′18"W |
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... . |
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| Sutton Residence | 1931 | 175 Merriweather Road | Colonial | Louis Kamper Louis Kamper Louis Kamper was an American architect, active in and aroundDetroit and Wayne County, Michigan, in the United States.-Project range:... |
The smallest family home by Kamper; built for his niece Paula Kling Sutton, and husband John R. Sutton Jr. |
Notable residents
- Gregg AlexanderGregg AlexanderGregg Alexander is an American singer/songwriter and producer, best known as the frontman of the New Radicals, who scored the international hit "You Get What You Give" in late 1998. Earlier in life he recorded two solo albums, Michigan Rain and Intoxifornication...
- New RadicalsNew RadicalsNew Radicals were an American pop rock band active in the late 1990s, centered on frontman Gregg Alexander, who wrote and produced all of their songs and was the sole constant member...
frontman, best known for their single "You Get What You GiveYou Get What You Give"You Get What You Give" is a song by the New Radicals. It was an international hit, the first and most successful single from their album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. It reached No. 30 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay in January 1999, No. 36 on the overall Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Billboard...
" - Russell A. Alger, Jr. - 32 Lakeshore Drive; the mansion is the Grosse Pointe War MemorialGrosse Pointe War MemorialThe Grosse Pointe War Memorial, also known as the Russell A. Alger, Jr. House and as the Moorings was dedicated to the memory of veterans and soldiers of World War II. It is located at 32 Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. It was built in 1910 and served as the family home of Russell A....
and open to the public. - Seth Anderson of Love ArcadeLove ArcadeLove Arcade was an American alternative/powerpop band founded by Christian Berishaj. Their debut album, Love Arcade was released in 2006.-History:...
is currently residing in Grosse Pointe Farms. - Standish Backus - Burroughs Adding Machine President.
- Anita BakerAnita BakerAnita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
- Soul singer. - Joseph Berry - founder of Berry Varnish and Paint. Created the first Grosse Pointe year-round, lakeside residence in 1882.
- Ralph Harmon Booth - 315 Washington Road. President of Booth Newspapers, served as U.S. Minister to Denmark, Detroit Institute of ArtsDetroit Institute of ArtsThe Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
philanthropist - brother of George G. Booth. - Roy D. ChapinRoy D. ChapinRoy Dikeman Chapin was an American industrialist and automaker. He also served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from August 8, 1932, to March 3, 1933, in the last months of the administration of President Herbert Hoover.Chapin was born in 1880 in Lansing, Michigan, and attended the...
- 457 Lake Shore Drive, Hudson Motor Car CompanyHudson Motor Car CompanyThe Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, from 1909 to 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was continued through the 1957 model year, after which it was dropped.- Company strategy...
founder, served as United States Secretary of CommerceUnited States Secretary of CommerceThe United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...
. Architect John R. Pope designed the GeorgianGeorgian architectureGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
style Chapin house, built in 1927. In 1956, Henry Ford's grandson Henry Ford IIHenry Ford IIHenry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
had purchased the home. - Henry Tiffany Cole - 394 Lakeland.
- Charles A. Dean - 221 Lewiston.
- Anna Thompson DodgeAnna Thompson DodgeAnna Thompson Dodge was one of the richest women in the world at the time of her death.-Biography:She was born on August 7, 1871 in Dundee, Scotland as Anna Thompson. In 1896 she married Horace Elgin Dodge, Sr., of Dodge Brothers Company . The couple had a son, Horace Elgin Dodge, Jr., and a...
(Mrs. Horace E. Dodge) - 12 Lake Shore. Rose Terrace Mansion was demolished in 1976. - Delphine Dodge.
- Horace Dodge - automotive pioneer.
- Horace Dodge, Jr.
- John Francis DodgeJohn Francis DodgeJohn Francis Dodge was an American automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company.-Biography:...
- Automotive pioneer (80,000+ sq ft home stood vacant for 20 years following his death). - Matilda Dodge (Mrs. John F. Dodge).
- John M. Dwyer - 370 Lakeland.
- Berrien E. Eaton - 1018 Bishop, President of Rainbow Color & Paint Company.
- Clinton Goodloe Edgar - 880 Lake Shore Drive, managing partner of W. H. Edgar and Son and president of the Edgar Sugar House.
- Jeffrey EugenidesJeffrey EugenidesJeffrey Kent Eugenides is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and short story writer. Eugenides is most known for his first two novels, The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex . His novel The Marriage Plot was published in October, 2011.-Life and career:Eugenides was born in Detroit, Michigan,...
- Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning novelist. - Edward Steptoe Evans - President of Detroit Aircraft CorporationDetroit Aircraft CorporationThe Detroit Aircraft Corporation was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan on July 10, 1922, as the Aircraft Development Corporation. The name was changed in 1929...
and holder of 1926 around-the-world record of 28 days, 14 hours. - W. Hawkins Ferry - 874 Lake Shore Drive.
- Edsel FordEdsel FordEdsel Bryant Ford , son of Henry Ford, was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943.-Life and career:...
and Eleanor Clay Ford - 1100 Lake Shore Drive, son of Henry FordHenry FordHenry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
. Public tours. - Henry Ford IIHenry Ford IIHenry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
- 160 Provencal Rd., grandson of Henry Ford. - Josephine Ford - 248 Provencal Rd., granddaughter of Henry Ford.
- William Clay FordWilliam Clay FordWilliam Clay Ford may refer to:*William Clay Ford, Sr., grandson of Henry Ford, son of Edsel Ford and owner of the Detroit Lions*William Clay Ford, Jr., great-grandson of Henry Ford, son of William Clay Ford, Sr., chairman of Ford Motor Company...
- grandson of Henry Ford. - William Clay Ford, Jr.William Clay Ford, Jr.William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr. , is the great-grandson of Henry Ford, and serves as the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, Ford also served as the President, CEO, and COO until turning over those roles to former Boeing executive Alan Mulally in September 2006...
- great grandson of Henry Ford. - Alexander Grant - 18th century British Great Lakes Naval Commander.
- Robert Chad Hoker - 786 Lake Shore Dr. Founder of Rio Power - electricity. Son of radio broadcast mogul Jay Hoker.
- Henry B. Joy - president, Packard Motor Car Company.
- Cornelia Groefsema KennedyCornelia Groefsema KennedyCornelia Groefsema Kennedy is a Senior Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.-Biography:Kennedy grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated at the top of her class from the University of Michigan Law School. After law school, she clerked for the chief judge of the U.S....
- 1st Republican woman to be appointed to the U.S. federal court system, and fourth woman to be appointed to the federal court system. - Edie Kerouac-ParkerEdie ParkerEdie Kerouac-Parker was the author of her memoir, "You'll Be Okay" from the Beat Generation, and the first wife of Jack Kerouac. She and Joan Vollmer shared an apartment on 118th Street in New York City, frequented by many Beats, among them Vollmer's eventual husband William S. Burroughs.Parker...
- 1st wife of Jack KerouacJack KerouacJean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
. - William Kessler - Architect.
- The Lardner family - (Lardner elevator company, Detroit Elevator Company).
- George Lothrop - lawyer, Attorney General of Michigan, and later U.S. Ambassador to Russia.
- Alvan Macauley - 735 Lake Shore Drive. President, Packard Motor Company.
- Kirk MaltbyKirk MaltbyKirk Maltby is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings.-Playing career:...
- forward for the Detroit Red Wings. - Sidney Trowbridge Miller Jr. - 248 Provencal Rd., Attorney, son of Sidney Davis Miller, founder of Miller, Canfield, Paddock & StoneMiller, Canfield, Paddock & StoneMiller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone is the largest law firm in Detroit, Michigan, and one of the oldest law firms in the American Midwest. It is an international firm with offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China, and one of the few American law firms to have international offices in...
, Detroit's largest law firm. - Roger PenskeRoger PenskeRoger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
- founder of Penske Automotive Group. - Gilbert B. Pingree - 270 Voltaire Place.
- William B. Stratton and Mary Stratton - 938 Three Mile Drive. Founded Pewabic PotteryPewabic PotteryPewabic Pottery is a studio and school located in Detroit, Michigan and founded in 1903. The studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Pewabic Pottery is on display...
. - Charles M. Swift House - 17840 Jefferson Avenue. Purchased by Mrs. Horace E. Dodge in 1923 at a cost of around $650,000 for her son Horace Dodge, Jr. Mrs. Dodge lived next door. (Demolished 1985.)
- Meg WhiteMeg WhiteMegan Martha "Meg" White is an American drummer best known for her work in the Detroit rock duo The White Stripes.-Early life:...
of The White StripesThe White StripesThe White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
was born in Grosse Pointe Farms. - G. Mennen WilliamsG. Mennen WilliamsGerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams, , was a politician from the US state of Michigan. An heir to a personal grooming products fortune, he was known as "Soapy," and wore a trademark green bow tie with white polka dots....
- Governor and Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme CourtMichigan Supreme CourtThe Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...
.