Ford, Edsel and Eleanor, House (Gaukler Pointe)

The Edsel and Eleanor Ford Estate is a very significant property, for it brings together three of the most important and influential people who shaped twentieth century Detroit: Albert Kahn, the innovative and prolific architect; Edsel Ford, son of the founder and himself President of the Ford Motor Company; and Eleanor Clay Ford, a niece of retailing pioneer, Joseph Lothian Hudson, and one of Detroit's cultural and social leaders. The house is a superb example of the predilection for English architecture of the early automotive tycoons and reflects the sensibility and taste of Mr. and Mrs. Ford for great art and noble architecture. 'Edsel Ford cares for the beautiful, knows what is art and what is not. Edsel and Eleanor's home on Lakeshore Drive reflects their sense of combining the useful with the beautiful.' It indicates the extent to which they were educated by leading art scholars to appreciate and acquire superb works of art and to choose an architect and interior designer, who could provide an appropriate setting for their paintings, their elegant lifestyle and their growing family. In addition, the Ford Estate is one of the most notable works of the great landscape architect Jens Jensen and one of the few remaining unaltered examples of his designs in Michigan.

The Edsel and Eleanor Ford estate encompasses 87.5 acres and includes the following structures: Gate House, House, Swimming Pool, Recreation House, Play House, Tool Shed, Power House. The Ford estate occupies the largest and most beautifully-situated homesite in the wealthiest and most exclusive section of Grosse Pointe that stretches along the shore of Lake Saint Clair, northeast of industrial Detroit. Gaukler Point was endowed by nature with a commanding view of the water and the grounds were enhanced by the subtle artistry of landscape architect Jens Jensen who skillfully created a lagoon inlet for boating enthusiast Edsel Ford and framed the lake view with handsome plantings. A large meadow rimmed with stately trees separates the house from the noise and traffic of Lakeshore Drive and a curving driveway leads from the forbidding Gate House around the meadow's periphery, along the lake, and to the rambling Cotswold house at the end of the drive. The ambience thus created is of an English country manor. The house and grounds feature formal gardens with concentric circles of low plantings, stone frog fountains, and a pool, as well as less formal garden arrangements. The estate's various structures, including a Recreation House and Play House, complement the main residence, which is characterized by its Cotswold style design.