Detroit's wealth of architectural talent!

[p69rrh51]

A Weston and Ellington design.



61 Kenwood Road built in 1928 Grosse Pointe Farms, MI.

[p69rrh51]

An Earl L. Confer design.



Christ United Methodist Church 15932 East Warren built in 1950 Morningside Neighborhood Detroit, MI.

[p69rrh51]

An Abraham & Wood design.



2811 Cambridge built in 1935 Sherwood Forest Historic District Detroit, MI.

[p69rrh51]

A design by Ferndale based Earle William Shaffer.



26680 York built in 1929 Hill Historic District Huntington Woods, MI.

[p69rrh51]

A Guy Vinton design.



First Baptist Church of Detroit 8601 Woodward Avenue built in 1910 Upper Piety Row Detroit, MI.

[p69rrh51]

Patrick I found these the other day. Puts a different twist on what we thought we knew.

[p69rrh51]

Images of 294 East Boston Boulevard designed by Dalton R. Wells for Albert A. Grinnell. Located in East Boston-Arden Park Historic District the home was built in 1916.

[Patrick]

Patrick I found these the other day. Puts a different twist on what we thought we knew.

That is such an amazingly well-balanced design by a very overlooked designer.

[p69rrh51]

That is such an amazingly well-balanced design by a very overlooked designer.

How about the the "Spier" in Spier & Gerhke?

[p69rrh51]

2 drawings by Marcus Burrowes.

[Patrick]

So p69rrh51, I was going to ask you about the most remarkable interiors you have seen in the Detroit area. We can tell which homes are stately and amazing from the exteriors, but the interiors don't always reflect that. Also, a totally plain house on the outside can look amazing on the inside.

Have you seen any homes with amazing and detailed interiors? It seems like a lot of Detroit's grand homes had their original interiors gutted in the 60s for a more "modern" look.

[p69rrh51]

A Geoge J. Haas design.



Macomb County Building 10 North Main Street built in 1931 Mount Clemens, MI.

[p69rrh51]

A Kenneth A. Michael design.



341 Touraine built in 1948 Grosse Pointe Farms, MI.

[p69rrh51]

Church by Alden B. Dow.



First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn 600 North Brady built in 1965 Dearborn, MI.

[p69rrh51]

Southofthebloor I found some more images of the Detoit News Building.

[p69rrh51]

So p69rrh51, I was going to ask you about the most remarkable interiors you have seen in the Detroit area. We can tell which homes are stately and amazing from the exteriors, but the interiors don't always reflect that. Also, a totally plain house on the outside can look amazing on the inside.

Have you seen any homes with amazing and detailed interiors? It seems like a lot of Detroit's grand homes had their original interiors gutted in the 60s for a more "modern" look.

I have been many of the homes discussed here as well as quite a few that have not. I drive docents crazy on home tours. The new thing is to go one about the usually tacky decorating, and I politely tell them to shut up as I could care less about what is in the room I am there to "see" the room or I end up giving them a lesson on the room [[my wife cracks up about that)! I have friend I like to tour homes with he works for a major HVAC manufacturer he looks at the homes systems. We were in 1441 Strathcona a couple years ago and he was a wealth of information about the original controls for the heating from when the home was built in 1920's. He always gives me a different angle viewing the home. I have to say there are "Detroit" homes and "Suburban" homes [[fill in which burb you want). Mostly due to the timeline the homes in the city are "GENERALLY" far superior compared to their suburban cousins in terms of materials used, quality of construction, etc. [[there are many in the burbs that are on par or far better than those in the city). Fortunately most of the existing homes are relatively untouched [[except for bad taste and the 1950's penchant for painting everything white) and most of those altered can be restored to their original configuration. Once and awhile I do run across a disaster. Unfortunately quite a few of my favorite interiors are long gone. Most of them were contained in the 30ish mansions that once resided in Grosse Pointe. I have to spend a little time with an old company here in the city that has images of most of the interiors and a scanner.

[p69rrh51]

Neilr, the pics won't open.

Stromberg2

There are images of 54 Arden Park from when the home was built in 1917. Both homes are very similar in their construction and materials used.

[Neilr]

So p69rrh51, I was going to ask you about the most remarkable interiors you have seen in the Detroit area. We can tell which homes are stately and amazing from the exteriors, but the interiors don't always reflect that. Also, a totally plain house on the outside can look amazing on the inside.

Have you seen any homes with amazing and detailed interiors? It seems like a lot of Detroit's grand homes had their original interiors gutted in the 60s for a more "modern" look.

[[I am reposting my post from last evening with pictures that will actually open.)
Patrick, you didn't ask me; but I'll answer anyway.

To me, one of the finest interiors in Detroit is in the house on the sw corner of Arden Park and John R.


It was built by a lumber baron named Kotcher so there was lots of good wood in the house. I don't know the architect, perhaps you or p69rrh51 have that info. It had a grand living room, large dining room, reception room, and a conservatory with a large marble fountain.

The wide staircase on the east end of the main hall led down to the side entrance door to the circular driveway that was sheltered from the elements by a substantial glass-roofed marque.



Ascending the stairs you face a large multi-paned stained glass window on the landing.

All of that was wonderful; but what really took my breath away was on the second floor. The hall was, IIRC, ~12 feet wide and ran almost the complete length of the house. It was lit by the large stairwell window. I was there in the warm weather and all the bedrooms had their summer doors up! The regular doors were seasonally replaced by heavy louvered doors so as to provide all the bedrooms with cross ventilation. Since then only other place I've ever seen summer louvered doors used is at the Indian Village Manor.

[p69rrh51]

The home was on the Boston-Edison tour in the early 80's. The interior was outstanding. From what I remember the room sizes were very well proportioned and interior detailing off the charts. There is a pipe organ in the home, the owner told a good story about having to close the flue or the organ would wheeze and drive everyone in the house crazy. If I remember the tour catalog had info on the architect but the so called archivist for B-E has a problem with giving any info out. When I find out who the architect is I will let you know. Look on page 19 thread #467 has nice images.

[Patrick]

The home was on the Boston-Edison tour in the early 80's. The interior was outstanding. From what I remember the room sizes were very well proportioned and interior detailing off the charts. There is a pipe organ in the home, the owner told a good story about having to close the flue or the organ would wheeze and drive everyone in the house crazy. If I remember the tour catalog had info on the architect but the so called archivist for B-E has a problem with giving any info out. When I find out who the architect is I will let you know. Look on page 19 thread #467 has images great images.

Yea, for some reason, certain people in BE have issues with "outsiders" wanting to learn more about the neighborhood. They feel as if they have to protect the area from curious onlookers. I do recall one BE tour guide was a bit of a grump anyways.

[p69rrh51]

Keeping with the B-E theme interior images of 1446 Chicago Boulevard from a 1920 issue of Michigan Architect and Engineer.

[p69rrh51]

An Alden B. Dow design.



2402 Academy built in 1966 Durham, NC.

The president's home Duke University.

[p69rrh51]

An Albert Kahn design, includes an image from a 1909 issue of the Western Architect.

[p69rrh51]

An Omer Bouschor design.



15061 Windmill Pointe Drive built in 1935 Grosse Pointe Park, MI.

[p69rrh51]

A Clarence Day design.



19366 Cumberland Way built in 1926 Palmer Woods Historic District Detroit, MI.