Last week we presented Ellair Place and some of the homes that exist on the picturesque dead end street by the lake. Ellair Place has possibly one of the longest periods of time, 102 years, from when the first home was constructed (in 1895) through to the last addition (in 1997), of any street in Grosse Pointe.

This week we are going to explore the work of H. Sanborn Brown, an architect we have never covered before. He created at least six homes in Grosse Pointe, including three properties on Touraine.

H. Sanborn Brown’s first project in the community was 577 Washington, completed in 1935 for Dr. C. N. Skau. The charming four-bedroom home was built in the Georgian Colonial style. S.C Hadley, who owned the Hadley Construction Company, built it. 

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Last week we explored 855 Ellair Place, a mid century modern home completed in 1951 by George Bickford Brigham, Jr. for William Harris.

This week we stay on Ellair, to present some of the other homes that exist on this picturesque dead end street by the lake. The houses on Ellair Place cover a broad spectrum of architectural styles, ranging from English manor, Cape Cod, Colonial through to midcentury modern. The homes were constructed over a period of two centuries. Noted architects, including; Smith, Hinchman and Grllys, and George Bickford Brigham, Jr. created them for some rather prominent families. 

Ellair Place is located between Edgmont Park and Bishop Road. There are currently ten houses on the street, however, this wasn’t always the…

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Last week we presented 824 Lake Shore, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Estate. Set on 4.3 acres with approximately 445’ of water frontage the property features a 5,490 square foot midcentury modern main house, a charming guest cottage (created as an artist studio, in 1966), and a white clapboard farmhouse.

This week we head to 855 Ellair Place – a mid century modern home completed in 1951 by George Bickford Brigham, Jr. for William Harris.

George B. Brigham, Jr. has been called Ann Arbor’s “first modern architect”. He created at least 40 modern style homes in the city, and was nationally recognized as an early pioneer in the use of pre-fabricated materials in residential architecture. Source: www.a2modern.org. His work in Grosse Pointe however, appears…

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Last week we featured the work of J. Robert F. Swanson who was involved in creating at least four homes in Grosse Pointe – including 21 Colonial Road, and 203 Cloverly.

This week we would like to present 824 Lake Shore, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Estate. Set on 4.3 acres with approximately 445’ of water frontage the property features a 5,490 square foot midcentury modern main house, a charming guest cottage (created as an artist studio, in 1966), and a white clapboard farmhouse.

The entire parcel encompasses three pieces of land  - the first was once the location of 820 Lake Shore - a midcentury modern home (that has subsequently been razed), the second is the main house, 824 Lake Shore, while the third was once the location of 830 Lake…

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