Real Estate Blog - Higbie Maxon Agney

Welcome to the Detroit Towers – 8162 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit

Probably one of the most elegant and sought after residential buildings in the community is the Detroit Towers.

Constructed in 1925, the distinctive eighteen-story red brick and cast stone tower that is overlooking the Detroit River – offering some of the best views in the city.

Built in the Roaring Twenties for luxurious living (at an estimated cost of $1.6 million – around $22m today) the 18-story building contains thirty-four large units, two per floor. Each unit contains 9 rooms including servant’s quarters, and is around 2,400-2,800 sq ft.

Chicago architect Walter W. Aschlager designed the structure. He had a stellar reputation, and was nationally known for his design of hotels, skyscrapers and motion picture palaces.…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Welcome to 225 Touraine, a Cottage or a Castle?

Welcome to 225 Touraine – a charming gem, nestled in the midst of Grosse Pointe Farms. From the outside it has all the characteristics of an utterly charming little cottage, but on closer inspection this home expands to a large 4,214 sq ft residence, which begs the question…it is a cottage or a castle?

There are a limited number of homes in the Grosse Pointe communities that provide an illusion of size on this scale. Most homes over 4,000 sq ft present us with an instant impression of a large grand home. However, 225 Touraine doesn’t fit the mould – the quaint little country cottage exterior it is quite delightful, whilst the splendid interior is equally appealing.

Oscar C. Gottesleben & Walter A. Bernardi originally built the house for…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – The Many Faces of Albert Kahn

Several of the architects who created residential work in Grosse Pointe also worked in commercial, industrial and municipal architecture. Albert Kahn was not only capable of working in all these different disciplines, but he was indeed world renowned for some of his innovations.

There are numerous other architects who were as equally diverse. However, what makes Kahn almost unique in the world is that he had a separate design language for each type of building – he created modern/groundbreaking industrial designs, was open to following the latest trends for his commercial projects, and developed very traditional residences. In a limited group of architects who possessed these skills, this makes him quite remarkable.

Kahn’s early career was dominated…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Welcome to Lakeland – Part 3 (1928 – 1955)

Welcome to part three of our Lakeland exploration in Grosse Pointe City. Over the past couple of weeks we have investigated some fabulous homes. Part one explored several residences completed between 1909 and 1924, while part two presented numerous houses constructed between 1924 and 1927.

Lakeland has a wonderfully diverse selection of architectural styles that have evolved during a period of significant growth in the Grosse Pointes. We are fortunate enough to be able to see the transition that is so clearly evident on this street – from the grand 12,000 sq ft Georgian home created for John M. Dwyer in 1909, to the exquisite French provincial residence completed in 1927, through to the modern colonial home completed in 1955.

We begin our final…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – 18 Holes of History – the Golf Course at the Country Club of Detroit

One of the most popular venues in the Grosse Pointe communities is arguably the golf course at the Country Club of Detroit. Set on 212 acres the club is steeped in history, as are the lush greens and fairways of this prominent course.

Over the years it has been home to a number of prestigious national amateur championships, including the U.S Amateur championship, last played at the course in 1954, won by Arnold Palmer.

The original course first opened in 1927, having been designed by British golf architects Harry Colt and Charles Hugh Alison. Together, during the 1920’s, they designed a number of famous courses throughout the United States. One of their most respected designs is the Milwaukee Country Club in 1929, a course ranked by Golf Digest,…

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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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Buying a Home in a Sellers Market

According to reports house prices are close to what they were before the recession, while inventory is at a 15-year low, which makes it a great time to sell. But what if you are looking to buy?

Many articles offer advice on what the seller should do, but in this increasingly aggressive market place it is just as important to focus on what the buyer should do.

If you are planning on buying a home in the near future, it is imperative you have a trusted advisor to guide you through the home buying process. With homes receiving multiple offers within hours of coming onto the market having a knowledgeable REALTOR® on board now will ensure you are alerted to suitable homes, get an appointment to see the house asap, and are able to negotiate an acceptable…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Welcome to Three Mile Drive – An Eclectic Mix: Part 2

Having explored several homes on Three Mile drive last week, we continue our journey with the review of eight further homes. The creation of these homes span several generations – from one of the earliest to appear on the street, number 805 (in 1917) to one of the newer homes to be constructed, number 1011 (in 1954).

Despite the obvious age gap, the architects that were responsible were prominent designers in their respective era’s. Given that the change in architectural style altered significantly from the early 20th century through to mid century, it is a testament to the skill of these men that none of these homes look out of place on a street that has such an eclectic mix of homes.

So lets begin with one of the older homes on Three Mile Drive, …

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – Welcome to Three Mile Drive – An Eclectic Mix: Part 1

Continuing with our series of blog posts profiling the homes on a specific street, this week we venture up Three Mile Drive and bring you the first of two blog posts on the eclectic mix of homes featuring everything from ballrooms to bomb shelters.

Arguably one of Grosse Pointes most prominent streets, Three-Mile Drive features a mix of large residences created by some of Detroit’s more accomplished architects. These designer’s contributed to creating a number of homes in Grosse Pointe at a time when the community was firmly establishing itself as one of the more prestigious neighborhoods in South Eastern Michigan.

The houses on Three Mile Drive are a mix of grand, unique and classically designed homes, encompassing Tudor, Spanish Villa, Georgian…

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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – The Work of Lyle Zisler

We have previously covered the extraordinary work by a young, skilled, but lesser known architect by the name of Lyle F. Zisler. Mr. Zisler was an incredibly talented designer of Art Moderne homes. In 1937 he created two ‘stand out’ residences in this style in Grosse Pointe – located at 641 Oxford and 705 Pemberton.

However, like many of these highly skilled, yet lesser-known designers who created homes in the Grosse Pointe Communities, he was adept at devising homes in numerous architectural styles.

Lyle Zisler – courtesy of detroityes.com

There is very little known about Zisler, however we do know he was born in 1910, and died in 1958. He was the architectural editor in 1929 for Michigan Technic (a publication produced by the University…

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