Executive Committee Meeting 10-15-24

President's Report

Page 49 of 95

EXPLORE DETROIT

NORTH OF DETROIT

Cranbrook House and Gardens aa

visiting Falling Water, Pennsylvania. The house was bequeathed as it stood to Cranbrook in 2017, along with the Smiths' furniture, books, and personal belongings. It offers an incredibly insightful glimpse into Wright’s philosophy and the story of two passionate people whose determination turned their dream into reality. Meadow Brook Hall aa 25 miles from Detroit - 480 South Adams Rd (on Oakland University campus) - Rochester - t 248 364 6200 - meadowbrookhall.org - Calendar of visits and bookings on the website - From $12 (child $7). This huge mansion was built between 1926 and 1929 on land that was bought by John Francis Dodge , the founder with his brother of the eponymous automotive company. After the two men were struck down by Spanish flu in 1920 and died, their widows sold the company. Matilda Dodge , the heir to the land, had a house built there with Alfred G. Wilson, a timber magnate, whom she married in 1925. With its 8,200 m 2 and 110 rooms, Meadow Brook Hall is the country’s fourth-largest residence , certainly well behind Biltmore House, the house of the Vanderbilts in North Carolina (12,568 m 2 ), but larger than the White House (the eighth-largest). The exterior is in a Tudor Revival style and the interior clearly adheres to the Gothic trend. This sumptuous residence has it all, even a cinema and an elevator. The woodwork is particularly remarkable, an homage to the business of the

tour only (see contact on website) - Services: Sat. 5pm, Sun. 8am and 10am. w The church hosts concerts, including jazz! (Calendar on website.) Several years after acquiring the land on which Cranbrook took shape, the Booths built a church for the growing community of Bloomfield Hills . It lies at the edge of the property, and continues to serve its congregation in a spirit of tolerance and openness. True to his father’s homeland, George Booth chose the English Gothic style, mixed in with the Arts & Crafts lines he loved so much. Among other artists, he called on Mary Chase Perry Stratton , founder of Pewabic Pottery ( T p. 61) , to adorn the ceiling of the baptistery and, for the paintings, his friend Katherine Sibley McEwen (1875–1957), one of the pioneers of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts. Inaugurated in 1928, the Episcopalian church continues to serve its congregation in a spirit of tolerance and openness. Smith House aa 5045 Ponvalley Rd - Guided tour only, on reservation with the Cranbrook Art Museum - Fri.-Sun. 1am (also Sat. 11am) - Closed Dec.-Apr. - $35 ($50 for a private tour). A few minutes’ drive from Cranbrook, this house is one of some thirty constructions by Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) in Michigan. Typical of his Usonian houses , whose vernacular style is based on economy and harmony with the American (Usonian) landscape, it was built in 1950 for Sara and Melvyn Smith. The teacher couple, with limited resources, had fallen in love with the architect’s work after

owner, whose office is adorned with oak panels sculpted with scenes depicting his life and career. In the library , its shelves lined with leather bound books, the woodwork displays figures from the world of art, while the fireplace mantle is stamped with emblems of various American universities. The gallery , to the left of the large entrance hall, was designed in the style of Knole House (Kent, England), built in the 15th century for the Archbishop of Canterbury; it houses some of the paintings from the Wilson collection (Van Dyck and Rosa Bonheur, among others). Elsewhere, you can also admire Flemish tapestries, Chinese vases, silverware, and Tiffany-designed windows. The residence was donated to the university by its owners in 1957.

380 Lone Pine Rd (adjacent to the campus) - housegardens.cranbrook. edu - mansion: guided tour only (see calendar on website) - closed Nov.-Mar. - Garden: 7am-7pm (Oct.- Feb. 8am-5pm) - Mansion: $20, gardens: free entry. w On some dates, the guided tour includes a traditional English afternoon tea ($60) . Completed in 1908, this English mansion designed by Albert Kahn was the residence of the Booths until the 1950s. It contains works characteristic of the Arts & Crafts movement, of which George Booth was a major proponent: upholstery, ironwork, stained glass, woodwork, furniture, textiles, and decorative objects from the finest American and European workshops. Hard to believe as it may seem, there was even talk of demolishing the house in the 1960s, owing to its exorbitant maintenance costs. The house was saved thanks to the tenacity of the couple’s youngest son, Henry S. Booth, director of Cranbrook. A visit to the gardens is a must. They consist of different spaces, stretches of water, and a classical-style open air theater. The French-style terraces extend down to the forests bordering the Cranbrook campus. Don't miss the Conservatory Greenhouse , in which tropical and succulent plants thrive (Mon. & Thu. 11am-2pm - free entry) . Christ Church Cranbrook a 470 Church Rd - t 248 644 5210 - christchurchcranbrook.org - Guided

68

69