Last week we explored 300 Provencal. The magnificent Georgian Colonial home was designed by New York City based architect John Russell Pope, for Edward E. MacCrone, an investment banker. 

This week we are going to review 457 Lake Shore, the splendid home of Roy D. Chapin, who commissioned John Russell Pope to design the grand estate on Lake Shore in 1927.

Roy Dikeman Chapin, Sr. was an American industrialist and a co-founder of the Hudson Motor Company. He also served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from August, 1932, to March, 1933. Roy Chapin was born in Lansing in 1880. Having attended the University of Michigan, Chapin headed the consortium of businessmen and engineers that founded the Hudson Motor Car Company in 1908. The company…

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Last week we explored 1012 Three Mile Drive, one of Leonard Willieke’s acclaimed homes. The Tudor mansion was completed in 1929, for Raymond J. Purdy, an auto accessories and windshield manufacturer.

This week we head to 300 Provencal. The magnificent Georgian Colonial home was designed by New York City based architect John Russell Pope, for Edward E. MacCrone, an investment banker.

300 Provencal was completed in 1928. It is a classic symmetrical 7,832 sq ft Georgian Colonial home located on a 1.5-acre lot. The grand brick built home features a slate roof, tall sash windows, while the entrance is dominated by the central portico, supported by two columns with a wrought iron balcony above. This property is in essence the quintessential Georgian…

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Last week we presented one of Leonard Willeke’s most prominent projects, 22 Webber Place. The grand estate was completed in 1927, for Oscar Webber, General Manager of Hudson’s Department store.

This week we head to another of Leonard Willieke’s acclaimed homes - 1012 Three Mile Drive – completed in 1929, for Raymond J. Purdy, an auto accessories and windshield manufacturer.

Throughout the 1920s, Leonard Willeke was known for designing fine residential work for wealthy clientele. His work includes some of the most magnificent mansions in Grosse Pointe, located on some of the most exclusive streets – Lake Shore Drive, Three Mile Drive, Balfour, Berkshire, and Buckingham.

1012 Three Mile Drive, commissioned by Raymond Purdy, ultimately came via…

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Last week we previewed 938 Balfour, completed in 1922, as a speculative home by the talented Leonard B. Willeke.

This week we stay with the work of Leonard Willeke to feature one of his most prominent projects, 22 Webber Place. The grand estate was completed in 1927, for Oscar Webber, General Manager of Hudson’s Department store, and the nephew of Joseph L. Hudson. (Joseph Hudson emigrated from Ontario to Michigan – in 1881, he opened a small men’s and boy’s store in Detroit. Before his death in 1912, the once small shop had grown to be the largest department store in the city). Oscar Webber was born in Ionia Township in 1889. Oscar, along with his three brothers, ran the Hudson department store for several decades. He was married to Marjorie…

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Last week we turned our attention to some of the less well-known homes created by William B. Stratton. Aside from the large-scale projects that are often featured in books and publications, Stratton also completed numerous residences that are just as charming but don’t always receive the exposure they deserve. 

This week we arrive at 938 Balfour to explore the home designed and built by Leonard Willeke in 1922, as a speculative house. The definition of a speculative house is - ‘a residence built without a particular buyer in mind or under contract but designed to appeal to the maximum market possible’. Willeke, during the 1920’s, created at least seven residences on Balfour, this included four speculative homes: 938 (in 1922), 785 (in 1923), 746…

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