Real Estate Blog - Ellen Biddle Shipman

Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – 277 Lincoln

Last week we explored 114 Lothrop, a grand Regency home designed by Hugh T. Keyes in 1937, for decorated Canadian World War 1 veteran, Doctor J. Stewart Hudson. Measuring 10,586 sq ft it is one of Keyes larger homes in Grosse Pointe. It was built by Talbot & Meier. 

This week we delve into the history of 277 Lincoln. This iconic Italian Renaissance style home was once the carriage house on the “Edgeroad” estate, located at 251 Lincoln (the original address was 17743 E. Jefferson), designed by Louis Kamper, in 1918. The carriage house, along with the potting shed and a large heated greenhouse (to the left of the carriage house) were located at the rear of the property facing Lincoln Rd.

251 Lincoln was completed in 1918, for Murray W. Sales, a…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – The Lost Estates – Rose Terrace I and II – Part 2

Last week we explored “Rose Terrace I” completed in 1910, by Albert Kahn for Horace Elgin Dodge. 

This week we present the story of its successor, “Rose Terrace II” – arguably the most acclaimed residence to be designed, built, and razed, in all of the Grosse Pointe communities. And one of the finest houses of its kind to be built in the United States. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

“Rose Terrace II” was located at 12 Lake Shore Drive on an 8.8-acre site where “Rose Terrace I” and the original Country Club of Detroit had once stood. The original home had been razed in 1931, to accommodate the new French-styled Louis XV château for Anna Dodge (widow of Horace E. Dodge) and her second husband, former actor Hugh Dillman. 

The palatial palace…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Welcome to 355 Lincoln

Last week we presented the Trial Gardens at The Grosse Pointe War Memorial. The Trial Garden was originally commissioned by the Grosse Pointe Garden Center – an organization founded in 1950 to succeed the Grosse Pointe War Memorial’s Garden and Grounds Committee. Eleanor Roche, a noted landscape architect, designed the gardens.

This week we head to Grosse Pointe City, and to one of the largest homes constructed, 355 Lincoln.

Completed in 1923 for Theodore McGraw, Jr., the noted New York firm Alfred Hopkins & Associates designed it. The 8,733 sq ft English manor is a striking property, and particularly prominent in the community. The exterior is stucco, with a slate roof. While the exterior has subtle architectural details, the inside is awash…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Welcome to 32 Lake Shore Drive

Last week we presented a spectacular Mediterranean Revival home – 456 University Place – designed in 1925 by Charles Lewis Phelps.

This week we turn to what is possibly the most recognizable building in the Grosse Pointe Communities – 32 Lake Shore Drive – home of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Completed in 1910 it was originally the residence of Russell A. Alger Jr. Also known as ‘The Moorings’, it was designed by recognized architect Charles Adam Platt.

Upon completion the property was one of the finest country estates on Lake Shore Drive. Set on 4.5 acres, the residence was created in Italian Renaissance architecture. This approach was a style Charles Platt was particularly passionate about having spent time in Italy, in 1892, to study…

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