The estate was designed to look like a historic English village, despite being built in the 1920s.
Jens Jensen, the renowned landscape architect, intentionally designed the drive leading to the house to be winding to slowly reveal the building.
The estate contains a private bird sanctuary and extensive wildflower meadows maintained using ecological land management practices.
Edsel Ford, an avid art collector, specifically incorporated hidden, climate-controlled spaces in the home to house his collection.
The property features a 'playhouse' built for the Ford children, which is a scaled-down version of the main residence.
The house was built with thick stone walls and slate roofs to mimic centuries-old European craftsmanship.
Eleanor Ford lived in the home until her death in 1976, keeping the interior decor largely unchanged throughout her residence.
The swimming pool area is designed with a unique indoor-outdoor flow characteristic of 1920s luxury estates.
Ford House is the historic Grosse Pointe Shores estate of Edsel and Eleanor Ford, designed by architect Albert Kahn. Completed in 1929, the residence showcases a Cotswold-inspired exterior with interior designs by Saarinen, Jenson, and Walter Dorwin Teague. The property encompasses 87 acres of landscape architecture designed by Jens Jensen, featuring naturalistic meadows, stone paths, and water features. The main house remains largely preserved with original furnishings, art collections, and personal artifacts of the Ford family. It operates as a non-profit museum focused on documenting the lives and design influence of the founders. The estate includes a modern visitor center housing exhibitions and dining facilities. The grounds are situated directly along the shoreline of Lake St. Clair, offering expansive water views. Visitors can access both the house interiors and the extensive outdoor gardens. It serves as an example of 20th-century residential estate design in the Midwest.
The lakeside stone terrace behind the main house, providing a panoramic view of the estate’s facade and the water.
Prioritize walking the lower trails near the lakefront for the most secluded views of the estate.
Check the visitor center for rotating exhibitions, as they provide deeper context on the Ford family's design commissions.
Allocate time to walk the full extent of the Jensen-designed landscape, as the gardens are as significant as the house interiors.
Attempting to rush through the gardens; the landscape design requires slow traversal to appreciate the intentional 'reveals' created by Jensen.
Closed on Mondays; often hosts private events or seasonal holiday closures in late winter.
Photography is permitted in most areas but strictly prohibited in certain interior rooms; avoid touching furnishings or historic surfaces.
