Hideous Art Van house on the market - comments please!

[A2Mike]

What is it with Grosse Pointers? They casually demolished houses designed by such masters as Horace Trumbauer, Charles Adams Platt, John Russell Pope, Ralph Adams Cram, and even Detroit's undisputed favorite, Albert Kahn.

What did they embrace? Besides miles of McMansions, such blockbuster architectural offenses as the presently discussed schlock chateau, an abomination unworthy of a Holiday Inn in Wichita; not to be outdone, a trash man enhanced the lakefront with what may have been intended as a Palladian villa but came off more like a Georgian almshouse; one auto scion did put up a convincing shingle style house, albeit after destroying a house by one of the aforementioned masters.

The only postwar house built in GP that could rightly be considered apt company for the earlier masterworks is the Mott B. Schmidt gem at 1000 Lakeshore. The Ferry house in GPS is a attractive anomaly which can't be be fairly considered with more historical styles.

Had any of the lost houses been built in such places as Greenwich, Hillsborough, Atherton, Buckhead, Bel Air, or even the architecturally addled Beverly Hills, they would surely still be standing. Grosse Pointe lacks not for the money but for the more elusive qualities defining an outstanding built environment.

[DetroitPlanner]

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

When you spend a lifetime employing literally thousands of people, generating hundreds of millions in tax revenue for your home state, and donating quite a lot to charity, you can build any house you damn well please. While not to my taste, Mr. Van's house is his business. It's absurd to think that one generation's standards of architecture & decor is less legitimate than a bygone day's.

By the way, I think McMansion is possibly the most condescending label that can be applied to someone who achieves something. It denigrates someone's legit accomplishments with the vapid claim, more or less, that the person doesn't have taste [[i.e., your taste). This thread can be boiled down to "I'm A2Mike, and I find Art Van tacky!"

Arthur Van Elslander is someone who should be celebrated and thanked. And I have celebrated and thanked him by buying furniture in his stores. Don't like his house? Here's a suggestion: don't buy it!

[Hamtragedy]

"I love the house, but these bathrooms all have to be redone", said one prospective buyer at an older mansion, referring to the Pewabic Tile bathrooms.

After having dealt with several youngsters and young adults from GP, I once yelled at a couple of them "all that money, and you guys got no class."

As for ArtVan, the scale for most of that furniture is so much larger than most modest homes around here, that I guess it would fit nicely into a 4000' sq. McMansion.

[SDCC]

It's a showcase mansion, beautiful home

[Gistok]

Whatever the merits of the Lakeshore estate, or lack thereof... Art VanElslander may have been a philantropist... but at what cost? He would gladly give you an Art Van line of credit card... but at the Robber Baron rate of 20.4% annual interest. One wonders if his philanthropy wasn't guilt related for such exhorbitant fees to his customers of lesser means...

[GP For Life]

"I love the house, but these bathrooms all have to be redone", said one prospective buyer at an older mansion, referring to the Pewabic Tile bathrooms.

After having dealt with several youngsters and young adults from GP, I once yelled at a couple of them "all that money, and you guys got no class."

As for ArtVan, the scale for most of that furniture is so much larger than most modest homes around here, that I guess it would fit nicely into a 4000' sq. McMansion.

You must be dealing with people from the Woods or something. I've never seen a Grosse Pointer who couldn't spot a Pewabic tile from a mile away. Though, my breeding is usually considered superior to most.

[Jimaz]

Photos at Free Press: Art Van founder's home listed at $15.9M, highest priced house for sale in state

[Johnnny5]

Whatever the merits of the Lakeshore estate, or lack thereof... Art VanElslander may have been a philantropist... but at what cost? He would gladly give you an Art Van line of credit card... but at the Robber Baron rate of 20.4% annual interest. One wonders if his philanthropy wasn't guilt related for such exhorbitant fees to his customers of lesser means...

There's also Art Van's track record of using their size to purchase competitors under the veiled threat of building an Art Van close by if the competitor is unwilling to sell. While it's not illegal, I sure as hell don't consider it ethical, but maybe that's why I'm not a multi millionaire with my own private jet.

[mwilbert]

I don't find the exterior very interesting, but the interior is better than I expected--the whole idea of a large-scale French chateau interior is that it is going to be over-the-top, and they definitely acheived that. Whether I would actually want to live in something at that scale is a separate question.

[bailey]

Originally Posted by Hamtragedy"I love the house, but these bathrooms all have to be redone", said one prospective buyer at an older mansion, referring to the Pewabic Tile bathrooms.

After having dealt with several youngsters and young adults from GP, I once yelled at a couple of them "all that money, and you guys got no class."


As for ArtVan, the scale for most of that furniture is so much larger than most modest homes around here, that I guess it would fit nicely into a 4000' sq. McMansion.

You must be dealing with people from the Woods or something. I've never seen a Grosse Pointer who couldn't spot a Pewabic tile from a mile away.

I'm going to with a +1 on that. I would also add that any contractor worth his salt in the GPs would stop them or at least recommend a work around to update it without destroying the tile.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Better question is who can afford that monstrosity?

[jt1]

Whatever the merits of the Lakeshore estate, or lack thereof... Art VanElslander may have been a philantropist... but at what cost? He would gladly give you an Art Van line of credit card... but at the Robber Baron rate of 20.4% annual interest. One wonders if his philanthropy wasn't guilt related for such exhorbitant fees to his customers of lesser means...

Do people of lesser means need to purchase new furniture on a charge card at 20.4%? In my younger years I used hand me down furniture or bought used furniture.

Now if they don't clearly disclose the rate then you have a valid point. If they do then it is only the fault of the purchaser.

[Gistok]

Do people of lesser means need to purchase new furniture on a charge card at 20.4%? In my younger years I used hand me down furniture or bought used furniture.

Now if they don't clearly disclose the rate then you have a valid point. If they do then it is only the fault of the purchaser.

It's all written out for you... in the small lettering of the "fine print".....

[jt1]

It's all written out for you... in the small lettering of the "fine print".....

Then if that is the case, our AG should really be pushing for full disclosure and mandatory font size for this type of stuff.

[motz]

Man, if this is a "McMansion", then Troy wouldn't look like crap.

[TTime]

I'm assuming they priced it that high so someone could come in at half the asking price and think they are getting a steal. Can someone please set an over/under on how long this thing sits on the market?

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Whatever the merits of the Lakeshore estate, or lack thereof... Art VanElslander may have been a philantropist... but at what cost? He would gladly give you an Art Van line of credit card... but at the Robber Baron rate of 20.4% annual interest. One wonders if his philanthropy wasn't guilt related for such exhorbitant fees to his customers of lesser means...

Gistok, dude, do you see evil and conspiracy in everything? Save the hate for the pimps and drug dealers killing our people. There are plenty of other places to buy furniture, and you don't have to use credit, wherever you get it.

[56packman]

A@ Mike, Mike, Mike--you are confusing having [[your) taste with having lots of money. The two things are almost always mutually exclusive.
It's his money, and his call. Let's see if anyone remembers that the center foundation of this manse was sinking shortly after it was built?

[GPCharles]

The old barns were very difficult to operate and maintain efficiently. I worked with a family trying to sell their old, lakefront family home [[1907 est.), which I would call mid-sized. It was architecturally significant. Despite our efforts to sell to someone who would update it and live in it, NOT ONE PURCHASE OFFER was received. It was eventually sold to a developer. Much of its architectural detail was recycled. The property was owned by a family trust, which means the trustees had a fiduciary duty to the beneficiaries to obtain the highest and best price.

[401don]

I would fill that pool with Koi to class the joint up.

[canuck]

I would fill that pool with Koi to class the joint up.

And a barracuda... in the driveway!

[bailey]

I'm assuming they priced it that high so someone could come in at half the asking price and think they are getting a steal. Can someone please set an over/under on how long this thing sits on the market?

A 12,000 sf place on Windmill Pointe [[in my mind much more desirable location and property) sold this summer for about 3 million after being on an off the market for years. I can't imagine it ever selling for asking price. Who knows though, maybe an athlete would? When I was growing up, GP was home to quite a few Tigers and Wings.

[Hermod]

Whatever the merits of the Lakeshore estate, or lack thereof... Art VanElslander may have been a philantropist... but at what cost? He would gladly give you an Art Van line of credit card... but at the Robber Baron rate of 20.4% annual interest. One wonders if his philanthropy wasn't guilt related for such exhorbitant fees to his customers of lesser means...

Most retail stores have a 20-plus percent rate on their store credit.

Just like eeeeeeeeevullllllllllll Wal-Mart pay scales are very, very competitive
with their "mom and pop" competitors [[and Wal-Mart won't withhold your paycheck because "we didn't make enough money this week").

[Gistok]

Gistok, dude, do you see evil and conspiracy in everything? Save the hate for the pimps and drug dealers killing our people. There are plenty of other places to buy furniture, and you don't have to use credit, wherever you get it.

Huh?? You must have me confused with Gannon... I don't see evil or conspiracy. And as for the Art VanElslander Mansion on Lakeshore... I don't think it is ugly and only moderately garish... it looks so nice when it's all ablaze with 50K lights at Christmas. And even the contents of the house aren't any worse than what we see in the Bachelor TV Show mansion.

As for their line of credit... I bought $5K worth of Art Van furniture quite a few years back... and only afterwards was I aware of the high rate of finance... I immediately went thru my Credit Union and got a personal loan to pay it off. Didn't make the Art Van folks happy though...

But I haven't a clue where you think I see evil in everything Mikey??