Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning January 2006 » Emory Ford estate Grosse Pointe « Previous Next »
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Patrick
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Username: Patrick

Post Number: 3297
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 70.234.78.54
Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 9:27 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

In Ferry’s book, I came across a picture of one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen. It was the Emory Ford estate in Grosse Pointe. I do know that the Viviano Flower shop in SCS has the original greenhouse from the estate. Does anyone know where exactly this home was? I know it was torn down in the 50’s or 60’s.

Anyone have any info on this grand home?
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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 1281
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 141.213.173.94
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 12:21 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hmm I'm guessing it was on the upper portion of Lakeshore Dr. (past Provencal) where there is probably a newer large house now and a bunch of lame ass 1950s houses behind in on the former estate. I know I saw this last time I saw Ferry's book, but the particulars aren't coming to mind.
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Billybbrew
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Username: Billybbrew

Post Number: 136
Registered: 07-2005
Posted From: 205.188.116.137
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 2:23 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Emory Ford was one of the founders of the Wyandotte Chemical (Michigan Alkalai) Company and also the Huron Cement Company who's silo's were just demolished downtown (LaFarge). The oldest ship on the Great Lakes was named after him. (E. M. Ford, 1898) It is currently being used for cement storage in Saginaw and has not sailed since around 1993 if I'm not mistaken. Ford Avenue in Wyandotte (aka Northline) is also named for the family. Lots of local history involving the non-automotive Ford's.
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Kathleen
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Username: Kathleen

Post Number: 1221
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.122.57
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 8:17 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mackinaw pegged the location pretty well.

According to "Grosse Pointe, 1880-1930" by Madeleine Socia and Suzy Berschback (Arcadia, 2001), the houses owned by the four grandchildren of John B. Ford, namely Emory L. Ford and his sisters, Mrs. Joseph B. Schlotman, Mrs. Harry N. Torrey, and Mrs. Elmer D. Speck, were located on Lake Shore Drive near present-day Stonehurst Road.

A check of Mapquest shows the Stonehurst Rd. is about 6 blocks east of Provencal Rd. and 3 blocks east of Webber Place.
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Kathleen
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Username: Kathleen

Post Number: 1222
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Posted From: 69.14.122.57
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 8:26 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

One more item of note...while on the subject of the Chemical Fords...

Emory L. Ford originally lived at 67 E. Kirby, more well known as the Children's Museum. Ford had this house built in 1906-07; it was designed by architect John Scott who designed so many houses around the block on Ferry St. A later resident of the house, in 1930, Robert P. Scherer, son of Otto Scherer, invented the machine that changed the pharmaceutical world...the gelatin capsule dispenser (as it is known in technical terms, the rotary die encapsulation machine).

Courtesy of woodwardheritage.com:
67Kirby
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Patrick
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Username: Patrick

Post Number: 3298
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 65.222.10.3
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 10:22 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I know there was a Hugo Scherer estate somehwere in GP as well. regarding the E. Ford house. It was huge. wasnt an architect by the name of Spear or Spears???
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The_rock
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Username: The_rock

Post Number: 1055
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 68.42.251.225
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 5:14 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Billybrew knows his lake boats!! When I first got interested in those old classics back in the late 50's, the Ford was still sailing for competing shipping interests under the name Presque Isle.

I live a couple of blocks west of Stonehurst Road. Stonehurst ends at Shelden in GPS and does not go through to Lakeshore. IF the Ford estate occupied that land on Lakeshore. then the present homes on the "estate" are what we call the "Darth Vader" home and I believe next to it is the Joe Schoenith home of Roostertail restaurant fame.

I am not sure that I would agree with mackinaw that the houses in the back of the property are
"lame-ass", but agree that they are not in the same ballpark as those on Lakeshore.
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Ray1936
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Username: Ray1936

Post Number: 385
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 207.200.116.139
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 5:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The 1910 U.S. Census shows Emory L. Ford living at 33 E. Kirby (the Detroit house numbering system was changed about 1918, don't forget). He is 34 years old and a widower, born in Indiana. He lives with his 3 year old son, Emory Jr., who was born in Michigan, a housekeeper and four servants. Emory Sr. lists his occupation then as a manufacturer of chemicals.

In the 1920 census, he is now 43 and has a 23-year old wife, Hazel. They live with Emory Jr., now 13, at 485 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Shores, with only three servants. He now lists his occupation as "President", but the name of the company is badly blurred in the image.....

.....and in the 1930 census, he remains at 485 Lake Shore Drive with wife Hazel and 23-year old son Emory Jr., unmarried. He claims he owns his home and puts a value of $500,000 (1930 dollars!) on it. The home now boasts of seven servants. Emory states his occupation as "Capitalist, Chemical Plant".

The 1940 census will be available in April of 2012. Stay tuned. :-)

(Message edited by Ray1936 on March 22, 2006)

(Message edited by Ray1936 on March 22, 2006)
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Billybbrew
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Username: Billybbrew

Post Number: 137
Registered: 07-2005
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 6:06 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hmmm....There was also a ship named the Emory L. Ford....This later ended it's career as the Raymond H. Reiss if I'm not mistaken. I had a fleeting thought last nite as I was typing my above spiel that I might have the wrong Emory Ford.....At least I was right about them being "non-automotive" Fords, lol.
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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 1283
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 141.213.173.94
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 6:35 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah Speirs or Spiehrs, something like that Patrick. All of his works--and they were all huge houses basically along Lakeshore--are gone.

The_rock, they're not that lame...I just get out of my element when I get east of Moross, and especially past Provencal.
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Fury13
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Username: Fury13

Post Number: 995
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.222.11.226
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 7:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ray1936: FYI, the present Detroit house-numbering system went into effect on Jan. 1, 1921, according to the R.L. Polk Detroit City Directory of that year.
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Ray1936
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Username: Ray1936

Post Number: 386
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Posted From: 207.200.116.139
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 10:23 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ah! I knew it was around then, I just pulled "1918" out of the air. My bad. Thanks for the backstopping, Fury...now I know when it was!
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Kathleen
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Username: Kathleen

Post Number: 1224
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.122.57
Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 10:43 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The architect who designed the Emory L. Ford house on Lake Shore was Albert H. Spahr of Pittsburgh(Ferry, p. 298). In addition, he designed the Joseph B. Schlotman and Elmer D. Speck houses. So three of the Ford grandchildren used Spahr; the fourth--the Harry N. Torrey--house was designed by John Scott (who as I mentioned above designed the Kirby St. home of Emory L. Ford).

The Hugo Scherer house, designed by Louis Kamper and built in 1898, stood on Lake Shore Drive at Moran Rd. a few blocks west of Moross. It was demolished in 1984.
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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 1289
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 141.213.173.94
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 12:25 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Spahr!!! That's it.
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Harsensis
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Username: Harsensis

Post Number: 32
Registered: 07-2005
Posted From: 71.227.102.82
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 12:35 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

When I put 485 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Shores into google maps it shows that it would have been right next door to the Schlotman estate. If you look at the satellite view up close, just north east you can look back from the lake and see the wall of the Schlotman estate. It was put there because the interurban use to run along that from what was then GP blvd now Kercheval to the lake.

On a side note for all of you who believe in ghosts, Mrs Schlotman still hangs out on the property. My wife's parents use to own the taco bell house on lakeshore that was on the Schlotman property. On the southern end of the house there was a ghost who I always felt it was a woman. Usually when you would see her, she would walk down a hall to the master bedroom suite that one side was being used as a tv room, then she would turn into the bedroom. If she didn't like something she would act up by slamming doors, she didn't like change. I felt it was her because she said that was her house and she didn't want anybody else living in it, so it was in her will to be torn down. I often wonder if the house that is there now has the ghost in it. It took about three years before my wife's family started talking about the house having a ghost. Nobody wanted to be the first to say something about it. Oh she got really really mad when we tried to use a Ouija Board, the part you move flew off of the table and we searched everywhere for it and never found it. We even looked inside the heating vents.

Last thought is that my grandfather worked on the EM Ford in the teens.
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Ray1936
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Username: Ray1936

Post Number: 387
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Posted From: 207.200.116.139
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 1:09 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Just found a death date for Emory Ford, Jr. He died in June of 1971, age 65. Last residence on the SSDI was Grosse Pointe Shores. Couldn't find a death date for Emory Senior, though.
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Jimaz
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Username: Jimaz

Post Number: 516
Registered: 12-2005
Posted From: 68.2.191.57
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 10:08 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Harsensis, great ghost story. Thanks!
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Patrick
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Username: Patrick

Post Number: 3310
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 65.222.10.3
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 4:46 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I have seen several images of this home. The facade is huge. It had to have been at least 25,000 square feet.
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Harsensis
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Username: Harsensis

Post Number: 34
Registered: 07-2005
Posted From: 71.227.102.82
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 5:41 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks, there are quite a few ghosts in Grosse Pointe. Most are nice, but a buddy lived along the Clinton River near 16 mile and they had a mean, nasty ghost in their house. He would talk about the paint peeling all of the time and red eyes looking out from the TV set. He also said there was a bell that would ring by itself even after it was removed from the home. He thought the house was built on an indian burial ground along the river. I don't want to get off topic though.
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Aiw
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Username: Aiw

Post Number: 5423
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 64.228.67.25
Posted on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 10:16 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here is a picture I found in a book of the J.B. Ford residence. This dates from 1906, and the book puts the house on Jefferson Avenue.

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Patrick
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Username: Patrick

Post Number: 3314
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 70.230.14.5
Posted on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 11:02 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Probably along Indian Village's "Gold Coast." There were dozens of similar homes along the river at the time. Most natbly was the home of Edsel Ford,
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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 1291
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 141.213.173.94
Posted on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 11:58 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Pretty sure this is now 15520 Windmill Pointe Dr., GP Park, which according to my notes is
"John B. Ford house. Limestone ecletic with Georgian facade. Built 1904 in Detroit, 14234 sq. ft, by Chittendon & Kotting; originally built on Indian Village riverfront, moved by truck in 1929 to become home of son Frederick Ford." My most recent Indian Village Home/Garden Tour booklet talks about how this house was moved; I'm assuming it was changed quite a bit as it was rebuilt. Perhaps this photo is of the side facing the lake, but based on the way the front of the house looks, I cannot imagine those gables on the back.

Then there was a John B. Ford Jr. (another son of John Battiste Ford, I guess) who had 16638 East Jefferson (GPP) built for him by Robert Derrick. This is the white/gray homes on a huge lakefront lot (the way they all used to be--the plot is the entire 1000 or so feet from the road to the lake) just west of Cadiuex. 9279 sq. ft.
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Kathleen
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Username: Kathleen

Post Number: 1238
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.122.57
Posted on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 12:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

This John B. Ford House was designed by Alpheus W. Chittenden and originally stood on the river (or south) side of Jefferson. In 1928, it was moved to 15520 Windmill Pointe Drive. Here's some details: http://bethpressler.com/real%2 0trends4th98.htm

Patrick: Have you seen Grosse Pointe Historical Society's "Tour of Grosse Pointe" and related Driving Tour on their website? Here's the link: http://www.gphistorical.org/to ur01.html. I've been wanting to walk Lake Shore Drive from where is it open on the lake side all the way to Moross to see what remnants of history remain. Maybe this will be the impetus to do so!!
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Harsensis
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Username: Harsensis

Post Number: 36
Registered: 07-2005
Posted From: 71.227.102.82
Posted on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 3:34 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks for the link, that Torry House photo is from one of my postcards. I let the historical society scan them last year.
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Patrick
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Username: Patrick

Post Number: 3315
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.252.68.80
Posted on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 6:01 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Anyone know where on Windmill pointe a Book Brother estate stood? It burned in the 70's I think.
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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 1294
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 141.213.173.94
Posted on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 6:09 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Could be next to the JB Ford house where there is a 1990s build...there are a few other locations with newer houses.
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Harsensis
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Username: Harsensis

Post Number: 38
Registered: 07-2005
Posted From: 71.227.102.82
Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 12:29 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Patrick, Is that the estate that the kid who lived next door burned down? I think that happened in the late 70's. If that was the estate, it was right next door to one of the showhouses and last I knew it was still an empty lot.

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