Last week we continued with the story of the “Tonnancour” estate as we looked at another home built on the property - 383 Lake Shore - which was originally built for Mr. Hall’s widow and would ultimately become the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Whitcomb.
This week we conclude our series on the history of the former “Tonnancour” estate as we explore one of the new sub-divisions located on the former 63-acre property – Tonnancour Place. This prestigious street in Grosse Pointe Farms is now the location of many fine residences, which over the years have had several notable residents.
The name Tonnancour is thought to have been taken from the 18th centurystone mansion (of the same name) built by René Godefroy deTonnancour (1669-1738) on the St. Lawrence River at TroisRivières, Québec.Source: Thomas W. Brunk.
Tonnancour Place, which runs from Lake Shore to Kercheval was established in the late 1950’s when James Whitcomb sold a large part of his parent’s estate, 383 Lake Shore,
(located on a substantial part of the former “Tonnancore” estate). Many of the homes were constructed during the late 1950’s. Over the years some of these homes have had some high-profile residents. Image courtesy of: GoogleEarth
35 Tonnancour – built in 1957 – Designed by Hugh T. Keyes, built by H. Micou.
35 Tonnancour was designed by the renowned architect Hugh T. Keyes for Elma C. Mennen, the widow of Henry P. Williams. She came from a prosperous family; her father, Gerhard Heinrich Mennen, founded the Mennen brand of men’s personal care products in 1878. “One of his first products was talcum-based powder, an innovation at the time”. Source: Wikipedia. In 1992, the Mennen brand was sold to Colgate-Palmolive Company.
Prior to living on Tonnancour Place, Elma Mennen and her husband (who passed in February 1941) had resided at 344 Provencal, “Mennen Hall”, a Tudor Revival style mansion located on the prestigious street of Provencal.
40 Tonnancour – built in 1956 - Designed by Carl Habermas
This house is currently inhabited by Bliss Caulkins Clark an award-winning floral designer, and a member of the prominent Caulkins and McMillan families of Detroit. Born in 1944, Bliss is the great-granddaughter of James McMillan, a former U.S. Senator from Michigan.
50 Tonnancour – built in 1960
A former resident was Mrs. Susan Stroh, whose husband had been president of Stroh's Brewery. Image courtesy of GoogleEarth.
55 Tonnancour – built in 1914 – Designed by Edward W. Donn Jr.
55 Tonnancour Place, completed in 1914, was designed by Washington based architect Edward w. Donn Jr. The property was completed for Theodore Hall's daughter Marie and her husband, Major Fuger. Built on part of the “Tonnancour” estate, the original address was 395 Lake Shore. In September 1961, 55 Tonnancour was purchased by Willis Carpenter, who at the time was an advertising executive with J. Walter Thompson. Mr. Carpenter helped manage and supervise ad accounts for Ford Motor Company. You can read the full story by clicking here.
65 Tonnancour – built in 1958
65 Tonnancour was once the home to Mrs. Elise Fink. We understand her late husband, George Rupert Fink, had been president of the National Steel Corporation. It is reported “one of the 600 feet long Great Lakes ore ships was named in his honor.” Image courtesy of Realtor.com
75 Tonnancour – built in 1956
General Alfred “Budd” Marks moved into 75 Tonnancour in 1975, after he and his wife Virginia Backus Marks divorced. It is understood General Marks was well known in Grosse Pointe. From around 1955 through 1958, General Marks commanded the 127th Tactical Air Wing, which at that time was located at one of the airports in Detroit. The squadron was comprised of two jet fighter squadrons plus a third squadron at Battle Creek. Around 1958, he became Chief of Staff for the Michigan Air NationalGuard (based in Lansing). He retired in 1963. It is reported75 Tonnancour was located where the old Tonnancour carriage house once stood. Image courtesy of Realtor.com
85 Tonnancour – Original house built in 1959
A former owner of this home was Elisabeth Ford. She is the widow of Frederick Clifford Ford, Jr., whose brother was Walter Buhl Ford.
90 Tonnancour – built in 1957
90 Tonnancour was built for Leander (Jack) Hamilton McCormick-Goodhart and his wife Gloria. Jack was the grandson of Cyrus Hall McCormick, who developed the reaping machine, which helped revolutionized agriculture. Image courtesy of Realtor.com
120 Tonnancour – built in 1956
Another noted businessman to live on Tonnancour was Mr. Armin Rickel and his wife Lorone. Their daughter was Gloria McCormick-Goodhart (who lived at 90 Tonnancour). Armin Ricklet was a prominent malt merchant in Detroit, his company Rickel Malt Company supplied malt to numerous breweries in the city.
Tonnancour Place is a beautiful street which was, and is, home to many distinguished residents. The sublime homes are a fitting tribute to the magnificent Theodore Hall estate that once graced the grounds at the beginning of the 20th century.
Much of the research about these residents came from a document written by Larry W. Stephenson, M.D. Written for the Grosse Pointe Farms Historic District Commission (May 2003).
* Photos courtesy of the Higbie Maxon Agney archives unless stated.
** Research, information, and data sources are deemed reliable, but accuracy cannot be fully guaranteed.
Written by Katie Doelle
Copyright © 2025 Higbie Maxon Agney & Katie Doelle
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