Last week we featured some of the homes in Grosse Pointe that use Indiana limestone as an integral part of the design, either as cladding or as trim. Indiana limestone has helped build a community and has played a massive part in the architectural history of Grosse Pointe. It remains permanently on display on some of the finest homes and public buildings in the area - an “aristocrat building material” that made such a difference to the composition of a home.

This week we jump forward into the 1950’s to review a home designed by contemporary architect Anne (Krebs) Crane, welcome to 15 Moorland. Ms. Crane was responsible for the design of several outstanding modern properties in Grosse Pointe from the 1950’s through to the beginning of the 1990’s. 

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Last week we explored 805 Trombley, a once superb limestone clad property that was located on the corner of Tombley and Essex Drive. It appears the property was completed in 1928, by the firm of C. E. Reichle Co. Designers & Builders, for Robert E. Farley, president of the Hillgartner natural stone company in Baltimore, Maryland. It was razed in 2008.

This week we are going to feature some of the other homes in Grosse Pointe that use Indiana Limestone as an integral part of the design, either as cladding or as trim. Limestone cladding - characterized by smooth, even faces and square edges, often several inches thick - was used to shape the aesthetic of a home. However, in many cases it was the trim, the intricate carved limestone details around the…

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Last week we explored a rather special home in Grosse Pointe Park – 813 Trombley, a grand Tudor style home completed by the firm of Roscoe W. Babcock, Inc. In 1928, the property was open for the public to tour, presented as “one of the finest and most complete homes ever produced in Metropolitan Detroit”. 

This week we stay on Trombley to explore 805 Trombley, a once superb limestone clad property that was located on the corner of Trombley and Essex Drive. It appears the property was completed in 1928, by the firm of C. E. Reichle Co. Designers & Builders, for Robert E. Farley, president of the Hillgartner natural stone company in Baltimore, Maryland. It appears Mr. Farley opened an office for the company in Detroit in 1920. The photo below is…

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Last week we visited the Grosse Pointe Farms sewage pumping station, located at 305 Chalfonte. It was completed in 1929, having been designed by prominent Detroit architect, J. Ivan Dise and built by engineering firm Hubbell, Hartgering & Roth. Image courtesy of waymarking.com

This week we explore a rather special home in Grosse Pointe Park – 813 Trombley - a grand Tudor style home completed by the firm of Roscoe W. Babcock, Inc. It is a distinct possibility that Roscoe W. Babcock designed and built 813 Trombley as a 3,569 sq ft speculative home.  The definition of a speculative home is – ‘a residence built without a particular buyer in mind or under contract but designed to appeal to the maximum market possible’. Speculative homes were…

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