Visiting the Charming Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan

When you are in the Detroit area one name that you will see every where is Ford. Most of the time the Ford everyone thinks of is Henry Ford. He help to make Detroit the auto capitol of the world for many years. Edsel was the only son of Henry Ford and his wife Clara Bryant. He followed in his father's footsteps at Ford Motor Company first as secretary and then as president of the company. He was also a talented engineer and designed the Lincoln Continental.

Eleanor Ford was born Eleanor Clay and was raised in the home of her uncle Joseph Hudson who was the founder of the Hudson Department Store. Eleanor and Edsel met when they were quite young at a dancing class and married when Eleanor was 20 and Edsel 23. It was a love match and they were very well suited sharing the same love of the arts and family values.

The house is located at Gaukler Pointe in Grosse Point on the shores of Lake St Claire. The land belonged to his father and Edsel purchased 125 acres with 3000 feet of water front. They both felt that this would be the perfect place to raise their four children and still be close to work and friends. They hired architect Albert Kahn to construct their home in the Cotswold style. The sixty room home feels and looks like a series of Cotswolds cottages and is furnished accordingly.

You begin your visit in the visitor center. All tours of the house are guided tours and timed. There is a caf if you need a snack either before or after your tour. The cafe closes at 3 so keep that in mind. The rate is $10 for adults and $9 for seniors. When your tour time is called, the tour begins with a video. The video is narrated by Edsel II the grandson of Edsel and Eleanor and what he wants youn to take away from this tour that above all else, this was a family home.

When the video is over you are bussed to the house for your guided tour. This is a wonderful house with some amazing furniture and pieces of art. The views of the lake are stunning and the information we get from our tour guide is excellent. Is amazing to walk into rooms that once were located in mansions in England and have now found at new home in Michigan. You will notice that there are no lights in the dining room, it was lit by candlelight for formal dinners.

When you get upstairs you will notice that there are several rooms that were redone in the streamline style. This is designed to resemble a Pullman car on a train with built ins and very sleek lines.

What you will come away with is the feeling that the Fords were a happy family who treated their staff like members of the family. One woman at the gift shop is the daughter of the former butler and the Fords took her whole family along when they moved from house to house so she summered in Maine and wintered in Florida.

After the tour you are set free to wander in the grounds and explore. There is a wonderful play house that was made for the daughter of the house and there is a museum in the garages as well as a few interesting vehicles. You can choose to take the bus back from here or continue to explore the gardens and there is a beautiful rose garden that is worth visiting. At certain times of year the pool house is also open to visit.

This is a delightful place to visit and the house is filled with treasures both of the arts and of the family.