Real Estate Blog - Grosse Pointe Park

Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – The Work of Steffens & Habermas

Last week we headed to one of the most prestigious streets in Grosse Pointe Farms, Provencal, to explore the elegant modern marvels, many of which were built by the respected architect/builder Hilary H. Micou in the late 1950’s and 1960’s.

 This week we turn our attention to the renowned firm of J. H. Gustav Steffens and Carl R. Habermas. Together, the duo, who both had long and distinguished careers, designed multiple homes in the affluent suburbs of Metro Detroit during the 1930’s.

J. H. Gustav Steffens was an established architect in Detroit. creating large residences in the prosperous suburbs of the city. He was born in Manistee, Michigan, on March 28, 1884. His early experience as an architect came from working with his father, Henry, who…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – 16638 E Jefferson

Last week we concluded the story of 16710 E Jefferson. The two-part post was a recollection of memories from Jeff Farkas about his childhood home, published with Jeff's permission.

 This week we head to one of neighboring properties to explore 16638 E Jefferson, “St. Dunstan”, originally built for Frank W. Eddy in 1911-12. In 1927, under the new ownership of John B. Ford Jr., (vice president of Wyandotte Chemical) the house underwent an extensive remodel to create the property we know today.

16638 E Jefferson is adjacent to what was the Leslie Gillette residence (16708 E Jefferson), and close to 16710 E Jefferson. The original property was a Victorian style home, built for Frank W. Eddy, a prominent businessman in Detroit who had made his…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – 16710 E. Jefferson – Part 2

Last week we began the story of 16710 E Jefferson with a recollection of memories from Jeff Farkas about his childhood home. It presented a fascinating history of the property that was completed in 1897 - one of the older surviving homes in all the Grosse Pointe communities.

This week we continue the story, with the terrible fire that engulfed the property, the middle years, and the birth of Jefferson Court. The following is written by Jeff Farkas, edited by Katie Doelle, and is published with Jeff's permission.

This is Jeff’s story…Part 2

1966-1967: The House

In late December 1966, our home was the victim of a terrible fire.  It started when old wiring, located on the staircase connecting the porch to the second floor, had a short…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – 16710 E. Jefferson – Part 1

Last week we explored the work of a lesser-known architect Hiram H. Hallett. His residential projects spanned a period of several decades and encompassed a broad spectrum of architectural styles.

This week we are going to share the story of 16710 E Jefferson (now 8 Jefferson Court). Completed in 1897, the property is one of the older surviving homes in all the Grosse Pointe communities.

We first explored this home in 2020. However, we were recently contacted by Jeff Farkas, (who grew up in the house), and he asked if we could make a few updates to the post. Well, we did better than that, Jeff kindly sent us a detailed story. The following blog post is a recollection of Jeff's memories from his childhood and presents a fascinating history of the…

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HMA has an open house this weekend – Sunday, September 30, 2018 2-4 p.m.:

HMA has an open house this weekend - Sunday, September 30, 2018 2-4 p.m. 

Ashley Jolley will be holding open 1120 Buckingham, Grosse Pointe Park

Beautiful 5 bedroom, 31/2 bath Tudor. Timeless leaded glass windows, ornate plaster details and pristine wood-trim throughout. A light filled uniquely designed Kitchen with high end appliances, fireplace and open floor plan. This home offers plenty of closet space, fenced yard with automatic gate at drive and sprinklers, home is equipped with commercial grade WIFI system throughout. This 3,400 sq. ft. home is listed for $635,000. 

For more detail please visit: http://ow.ly/mCQ230m1fPX

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Welcome to 1051 Berkshire

Welcome to one of the most individual homes in Grosse Pointe – 1051 Berkshire. Not only does the house have a very individualistic design it was also one of the few residences created by the Detroit based firm of Donaldson & Meier.

Donaldson & Meier were well known for their church work in Detroit and southeastern Michigan. John M. Donaldson and Henry J. Meier founded the firm in 1880. Donaldson was born in Scotland in 1854 and immigrated to Detroit with his family as a child. He had a wide and varied architectural education – after graduating from school he returned to Europe to study at the Art Academy in Munich, Germany and at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

John Donaldson – Courtesy of Wikipedia

Henry Meier – Courtesy of…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – An Exploration – Part 4: Bedford Road

Continuing with our review of individual streets in Grosse Pointe, we proceed in our exploration of Grosse Pointe Park and the intriguing street of Bedford.

Many of the houses in the Park were built prior to World War II, created for high-flying executives looking to relocate their families to Grosse Pointe. By the 1940’s the Park had an abundance of architecturally significant homes, located on many prestigious streets, including: Bishop, Kensington, Yorkshire, Edgemont Park, Three Mile Drive, Berkshire, Balfour, Middlesex, Westchester and Bedford (to name but a few).

Bedford has many interesting houses for us to profile including a number of homes created by several noted designers including: John C. Stahl, J. Ivan Dise, Robert Calder, Walter…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – The Work of Charles Kotting

Having recently featured Mr. Kotting’s work at 43 McKinley we wanted to continue with our exploration of this architect by profiling some of the other homes he created in Grosse Pointe.

Charles Kotting, born in the Holland in 1865, worked on both commercial buildings and residential projects throughout Metro Detroit. Having completed his architectural studies in Amsterdam, Kotting moved to Detroit at the age of 24. He joined the prestigious firm of Mason and Rice, where he stayed for thirteen years. In 1903 he team up with fellow architect Alphus Chittenden. During their 13 years together they created several ‘landmark’ buildings in Detroit including the Detroit Boat Club’s building on Belle Isle, the office building at the Detroit Stove Works plant,…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Grosse Pointe’s Best Kept Secret – Edgemont Park

Located between Ellair Place and Park Lane in Grosse Pointe Park is a small unassuming dead end street called Edgemont Park. The secluded road is lined with an abundance of trees, so much so that many of the homes are almost hidden from view. At the end of the street is a small lakefront park, it is believed each family has a key, providing residents with a place to call their own. Edgemont Park is quite beautiful.

The road is home to a handful of residences; there are some superb architectural examples on display created by a number of skilled designers.

The houses are somewhat unique to Edgemont Park. The styles range from French Colonial, English Tudor, through to several excellent examples of Italian Renaissance Revival design. Many of the homes…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Detroit’s Premier Architect– Louis Kamper

When we stop and consider which designers have had the greatest influence on the architectural scene in Detroit, it is quite possible there would be three reoccurring names – Albert Kahn, George Mason and Louis Kamper.

These three architectural masters worked during a golden era, creating residential and commercial structures that left not only a permanent mark but helped position Detroit as the home to some of the most remarkable buildings found in the United States.

All three of these special architects not only work in Detroit but also created homes in and around Grosse Pointe. Having previously featured the projects of Kahn and Mason lets now turn our attention to Louis Kamper.

Louis Kamper was born in Bavaria, Germany in 1861. He emigrated…

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