Edsel and Eleanor Ford House

Edsel was the only child of Henry and Clara Ford. In the 1920's, he and his wife Eleanor hired Detroit's well known architect, Albert Kahn, to design for them a stately manor on an 80 acre estate situated on Lake St Clair on the eastern fringe of Detroit. They traveled together to England to view different housing styles and decided on the Cotswald cottage look. The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores is indeed a beautiful, elegant home and they raised their four children here. We know them by Henry II, Bensen, Josephine and William.  The aerial view shows the home on the left with its expansive yard leading to the lake.  The peninsula on the right is known as Bird Island and is also open to the public with a well maintained trails.  We saw lots of birds and even a baltimore oriole here last weekend while hiking. Edsel died in the home in 1943. Eleanor lived here until the age of 80 in 1976.  Her greatest gift is what we enjoy today....having the home open to the public so we can walk in their footsteps for a little while.