Van Elslander mansion sold for only $3.75 million

**oo7plyr** · December-20-14, 10:49 AM

The Grosse Pointe Shores mansion built by furniture magnet Art Van Elslander that once had one of the highest price tags in the state ended up selling for the relatively bargain rate of $3.75 million.

Compared to the original $15.9 million asking price, the sale for the sprawling Lake Shore Drive estate was the equivalent of a clearance center bargain — a trademark feature at Art Van Furniture.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...sold/20672827/

**the rock** · December-20-14, 11:15 AM

The Andersons are a very nice couple and will take proper care of the place.

**Dan Wesson** · December-20-14, 11:24 AM

De Flation Boss, De flation

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DetroitBoy · December-20-14, 03:44 PM

Considering his consulting firm makes $200M a year and they gave a grant to WSU for $25M, buying that place for $3.75M is cheap. He probably paid cash.

**Honky Tonk** · December-20-14, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by oo7plyr

The Grosse Pointe Shores mansion built by furniture magnet Art Van Elslander that once had one of the highest price tags in the state ended up selling for the relatively bargain rate of $3.75 million.

Compared to the original $15.9 million asking price, the sale for the sprawling Lake Shore Drive estate was the equivalent of a clearance center bargain — a trademark feature at Art Van Furniture.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...sold/20672827/

Well, there goes the neighborhood......

MAcc · December-21-14, 07:14 PM

Is this a large and/or prime lot? It's a pretty vulgar and tacky home [[with rumors of foundation issues); perhaps the Andersons have plans to demolish and rebuild?

DetroitBoy · December-21-14, 07:38 PM

It's a very imposing structure. Lots of everything that is more like a showcase at his stores than a home. It would need considerable renovation because it is dated inside. They moved west to Oakland awhile ago. Not sure who if anyone has been in residence there. Spectacular view of the lake so it has a lot of potential.

**Gistok** · December-21-14, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by MAcc

Is this a large and/or prime lot? It's a pretty vulgar and tacky home [[with rumors of foundation issues); perhaps the Andersons have plans to demolish and rebuild?

That house isn't going anywhere.... if someone wanted a tear down... they could have purchased 50 other properties along that stretch of Lakeshore for a fraction of the cost of this one. It is made of quality materials... and some features, such as floating staircases, just aren't affordable to all but the truly wealthy.

Some may find this garish... but it's little different than what would go up in Newport or Bel Air or Palm Beach. It's just a bit beyond what we expect here in Michigan.

I am a bit amused by the "tear it down" mentality.

**Wheels** · December-21-14, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

That house isn't going anywhere.... if someone wanted a tear down... they could have purchased 50 other properties along that stretch of Lakeshore for a fraction of the cost of this one. It is made of quality materials... and some features, such as floating staircases, just aren't affordable to all but the truly wealthy.

Some may find this garish... but it's little different than what would go up in Newport or Bel Air or Palm Beach. It's just a bit beyond what we expect here in Michigan.

I am a bit amused by the "tear it down" mentality.

They tore down Rose Terrace soooooo......

**Gistok** · December-21-14, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by Wheels

They tore down Rose Terrace soooooo......

Sooooo the Rose Terrace estate was such a vast [[very deep) piece of property that they replaced it with 25 McMansions [[just checked via Google earth) on 2 streets they put thru the property.

The Van Elslander property [[taking into account the Grosse Pointe Shores likely zoning restrictions) probably couldn't fit more than 2 residences [[if the put them one behind the other... maybe 4 residences). I don't think the numbers would make it viable as a tear down like Rose Terrace was....

DetroitBoy · December-21-14, 09:17 PM

The place is just '80s millionare over the top. It's the kind of place you'd find in Houston during the oil boom not in Newport or W Palm Beach.

Do you think they get a lot of fish flies there during the summer ?

**Gistok** · December-21-14, 09:19 PM

But that does beg another question.... who owns that property next to the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. There were 3 or 4 houses torn down to put up some very pricey Condos... but I believe the mortgage meltdown ended that... and the land is still empty.

**SyGolden48236** · December-21-14, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Sooooo the Rose Terrace estate was such a vast [[very deep) piece of property that they replaced it with 25 McMansions [[just checked via Google earth) on 2 streets they put thru the property.

The Van Elslander property [[taking into account the Grosse Pointe Shores likely zoning restrictions) probably couldn't fit more than 2 residences [[if the put them one behind the other... maybe 4 residences). I don't think the numbers would make it viable as a tear down like Rose Terrace was....

No, Only one street was placed through the Rose Terrace Property. That street was named Rose Terrace and the homes on it are hardly McMansions. They are modest, albeit 1970s constructed single family homes. Not much good came out of the 1970s in terms of architecture.

You are mistakenly thinking that the street named Dodge Place was platted on the Rose Terrace estate. Dodge Place was platted ten years after Rose Terrace was subdivided. It was created from the Charles Swift, later Horace Dodge Jr. then James Ranger estate.

**SyGolden48236** · December-21-14, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

But that does beg another question.... who owns that property next to the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. There were 3 or 4 houses torn down to put up some very pricey Condos... but I believe the mortgage meltdown ended that... and the land is still empty.

The property immediately east of and adjacent to the War Memorial is still owned by the War Memorial. They tore down the dilapidated house that existed on the property. To the east of that is the McMillan's home. Just east of that are two properties owned by David and Sherry Cotton's children, one of which has had a lovely home built on it. The condominium project was scuttled by intense opposition from area residents. The Cottons bought the properties from the would-be condominium developers.

MAcc · December-21-14, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Sooooo the Rose Terrace estate was such a vast [[very deep) piece of property that they replaced it with 25 McMansions [[just checked via Google earth) on 2 streets they put thru the property.

The Van Elslander property [[taking into account the Grosse Pointe Shores likely zoning restrictions) probably couldn't fit more than 2 residences [[if the put them one behind the other... maybe 4 residences). I don't think the numbers would make it viable as a tear down like Rose Terrace was....

To be fair, the Andersons aren't developers, they're filthy rich. And filthy rich people raze tacky and dated mansions to build modern trophies all the time. Here's a $4.5M home on the western Michigan lakeshore that was razed to build a mega-mansion: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapi...e_on_mark.html

Maybe they keep it, but a tacky 25-year-old mega-mansion on a prime piece of land is an ideal candidate to meet the wrecking ball. Upkeep, taxes, foundation issues, etc.

MAcc · December-21-14, 10:54 PM

Here's a 1.1 acres lot [[with a teardown) down the street, asking $1.4M: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/90...88605225_zpid/

Furniture boy's lot is 3.75 acres...

**Gistok** · December-22-14, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by SyGolden48236

No, Only one street was placed through the Rose Terrace Property. That street was named Rose Terrace and the homes on it are hardly McMansions. They are modest, albeit 1970s constructed single family homes. Not much good came out of the 1970s in terms of architecture.

You are mistakenly thinking that the street named Dodge Place was platted on the Rose Terrace estate. Dodge Place was platted ten years after Rose Terrace was subdivided. It was created from the Charles Swift, later Horace Dodge Jr. then James Ranger estate.

No, I was not referring to Dodge Place, only Rose Terrace St. The street Rose Terrace St. loops around as though it is 2 streets, although all with the same name.... and here we see a Google Earth map showing that there are indeed 25 houses placed within the former Rose Terrace Estate property...

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ro...950d06fb22f233

Also... when I use the term "McMansion"... I was referring to the general term for large houses built in many areas in the outer fringes of Detroit's suburbia, which we generally use on this forum. That term does have a whole other connotation when speaking strictly within the Grosse Pointe Lakeshore area confines....

**Gistok** · December-22-14, 03:11 AM

Originally Posted by MAcc

To be fair, the Andersons aren't developers, they're filthy rich. And filthy rich people raze tacky and dated mansions to build modern trophies all the time. Here's a $4.5M home on the western Michigan lakeshore that was razed to build a mega-mansion: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapi...e_on_mark.html

Maybe they keep it, but a tacky 25-year-old mega-mansion on a prime piece of land is an ideal candidate to meet the wrecking ball. Upkeep, taxes, foundation issues, etc.

Yeah, it depends what the owners want to do with it... but I don't think it is as tacky as you do... Pastiche yes.... but there are a lot of features from older styles utilized in this house, and done so with quality materials and an attention to detail. I view it as less dated than many other modern houses... especially when one looks at modern homes of the rich and famous in California or elsewhere... but that's just me.

With this being the largest and most expensive house built in the Grosse Pointes in many decades, I tend to think it will remain... but time will tell. And when you've got the money that these new owners do... even expensive foundation work, if necessary still shouldn't be a problem.

**Patrick** · December-22-14, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitBoy

The place is just '80s millionare over the top. It's the kind of place you'd find in Houston during the oil boom not in Newport or W Palm Beach.

Do you think they get a lot of fish flies there during the summer ?

You can find houses just like that being built right now in the Dallas area.

**poobert** · December-23-14, 03:21 PM

Why the hell does the Detroit News keep going on an on about how this place was so desirable and such a bargain? If it was so great it wouldn't have gone for 1/4 of its asking price.

DetroitBoy · December-23-14, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

Why the hell does the Detroit News keep going on an on about how this place was so desirable and such a bargain? If it was so great it wouldn't have gone for 1/4 of its asking price.

Because a lot of the staff live in the Pointes and they don't want people to understand how much the neighborhood has declined.

**English** · December-23-14, 06:25 PM

Seems like a prime spot. And if they rebuild, I'd love to see what they build on the spot.

**Bham1982** · December-23-14, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

Why the hell does the Detroit News keep going on an on about how this place was so desirable and such a bargain? If it was so great it wouldn't have gone for 1/4 of its asking price.

Because the News and Freep [[whether knowingly or they're just idiots) has no idea of anything related to market values and locational preferences in the region. Everyone knows if the same home were in Northville it would have 2x the value and if in Bloomfield/Bham/Franklin it would have 3x the value.

If you blindly red the News and Freep you would think all the rich people still live in the Pointes, Hamtramck is still Polish, 7 Mile is still Chaldean, the Jews live in Southfield, downtown/midtown are boomtowns, gentification is a major threat in Detroit, sprawl is some new phenomenon, and other assorted nonsense.

I assume they aren't that stupid, they just have an agenda that blends nostalgia for past times with wildly exaggerated claims about present trends..

**Gistok** · December-23-14, 09:25 PM

Gee.... I guess that the 2 late billionaires [[both of whom died in 2014) William Clay Ford Sr. and Ralph Wilson who were neighbors a couple of houses down on either side of the Van Elslander estate... must not have gotten DetroitBoy and Bham1982's memo that this area was Ghettoville. Funny that.....

**Bham1982** · December-23-14, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Gee.... I guess that the 2 late billionaires [[both of whom died in 2014) William Clay Ford Sr. and Ralph Wilson who were neighbors a couple of houses down on either side of the Van Elslander estate... must not have gotten DetroitBoy and Bham1982's memo that this area was Ghettoville. Funny that.....

I'm sure you're well aware that there's a middle ground between Grosse Pointe "not having all the rich people" [[as I stated) and "ghettoville" [[as you stated).

Obviously the Pointes are affluent, but they haven't been the region's wealth center in 40-50 years, but you would never know it if you read the local rag papers. If they have even 10% of the region's high-end wealth I would be extremely surprised.