Detroit – ALL I NEED IS MY PASSPORT

Belle Isle

Detroit

Aug 042017

Belle Isle
Detroit, Michigan

The James Scott Memorial Fountain was designed by architect Cass Gilbert and sculptor Herbert Adams, the fountain was completed in 1925 at a cost of $500,000

Belle Isle is a 982-acre island park in the Detroit River, between the United States mainland and Canada. Belle Isle is the largest city-owned island park in the United States and is the third largest island in the Detroit River. It is connected to mainland Detroit by the MacArthur Bridge.

One interesting story told about the island is part of Motor City history. It is said that one night in 1908 Byron Carter of Cartercar stopped to help a stranded motorist on Belle Isle. When he cranked her Cadillac, it kicked back and broke his jaw. Complications from the injury turned into pneumonia and he died. The incident motivated Henry Leland, founder of Cadillac Motors to state that “The Cadillac car will kill no more men if we can help it” and to hire Charles Kettering, who established Delco and developed the electric self-starter.

James Scott was left a sizable fortune by his father who invested in Detroit real estate. Scott was described by twentieth-century author W. Hawkins Ferry as a “vindictive, scurrilous misanthrope” who attempted to intimidate his business competitors and when this was unsuccessful, he filed suit. Perhaps for these reasons, Scott died in 1910 with no heirs or colleagues and he bequeathed his estate to the City of Detroit with the condition that the fountain include a life-sized bronze statue of him.

The Nancy Brown Peace Carillon

The 85-foot Neo-Gothic carillon cost nearly $59,000 when it was built. The tower was designed by Clarence E. Day, brother-in-law of James E. Scripps, the publisher of the Detroit News. The builder was Harlow A. Amsbary. Nancy Brown was the pen name of a Detroit News columnist who wrote the Experience Column from 1919 to January of 1942. Her real name was Annie Louise Brown.

The concept of the Peace Carillon came from a reader. In 1934, Nancy Brown promoted the idea in her column. It was built by readers who sent in nickels and dimes through Brown’s fundraiser and dedicated in 1940.

The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is the oldest continually-running conservatory in the United States. It is named for Anna Scripps Whitcomb, who left her collection of 600 orchids to Detroit in 1955. Anna Scripps Whitcomb was the daughter of The Detroit News founder James E. Scripps

Outside of this Conservatory sits a Japanese Stone Lantern made of white granite. The lantern, or Tohro as it is traditionally called, was presented to the City of Detroit by their sister city, Toyota, to commemorate the 25th year of their sister city relations. The lantern is inscribed with the Japanese word for “friendship”. Behind the lantern is the Levi L. Barbour Memorial Fountain, designed by sculptor Marshall Fredericks and dedicated June 25, 1937. Barbour was an industrialist who pushed for Detroit acquiring Belle Isle, and left money to the City to erect a monument in his honor “in order to inspire others to be charitable.”

Construction began in 1902 on the Aquarium and Horticultural Building, as it was called then. The two buildings, designed by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn, opened on August 18, 1904, and were originally joined where one could walk between the two structures without leaving the building.

Belle Island Aquarium

The Belle Isle Aquarium is the oldest aquarium in the country. In 2005, the city of Detroit announced that the Aquarium was to be closed due to lean economic times for the city. The building remained closed to the public until the Belle Isle Conservancy reopened it on September 15, 2012.

The lily pond is located between the conservatory building and the Belle Isle Aquarium. It was not part of the original design but constructed in 1936. The rocky walls were created with 200 tons of moss-covered limestone boulders that were brought from the construction of the Livingstone Channel in the Detroit River near Amherstburg, Ontario. The pond is home to Japanese koi that are maintained by volunteers and are held in the Aquarium basement during winter.

Belle Isle is the embodiment of what it is to live in Michigan, spending summers on the water. Beach goers and picnickers abound on Belle Isle in the summer. Signs of family reunions, birthday parties, and get-togethers are everywhere, parking is plentiful and all types of water activities available to those that visit the island.

FLW in Detroit

Detroit

Aug 032017

The Melvyn Maxwell Smith and Sara Stein Smith House
Bloomfield, Michigan

The Melvyn Maxwell Smith and Sara Stein Smith House also known as My Haven is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian home that was built by the owner/occupants in 1949 and 1950. The Smiths were two public school teachers living on a tight budget, to realize their dream they scrimped and scraped in ways most people would never consider, but the reward is this wonderful gem.

It is said that Mr. Smith, upon seeing a photo of Falling Water for the first time while studying to become a teacher, stood up in class and said: “One day I will own a Frank Lloyd Wright home”.

In the summer of 1941, the Smiths traveled to Taliesin, met with Wright, and he agreed to design a home for them with an initial budget of approximately $9,000.00.

In the summer of 1946, the Smiths took their entire savings of $3,600 and purchased the 3.3 acres the home would sit upon.

FLW would present his famous mark a red ceramic tile with his signature to many of the designated buildings that met his requirements and approval – a visible sign he accepted the structure as “truly- totally-Wright”.

Architect William Wesley Peters, who served as president of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, wrote that Wright “never had clients who were greater in the sense of love and appreciation than Melvyn Maxwell and Sara Smith. It was a two-way road because the more that came back to Frank Lloyd Wright, the more he gave, so it was a double gain

On Wright’s advice, Smith acted as his own general contractor in order to save money and maintain the quality standards he expected. He recruited skilled workers who wanted to work on a home designed by Wright so much that they would accept lower pay than usual. Suppliers of building materials also provided goods such as 14,000 board feet of red tidewater cypress lumber at discounted prices because of their wish to be involved with a Wright project. Shopping center developer A. Alfred Taubman provided all of the windows at a deep discount because he considered the house a “fantastic structure”.

Wright visited the house himself in 1951, and called it “my little gem”. He visited the house again in 1953 and 1957.

In 1957, Melvyn Smith met with landscape architect Thomas Dolliver Church who visited the home and stayed for a spaghetti dinner prepared by Sara Smith. Church spent the night as their guest, and the following morning, produced a landscape plan on the spot for a nominal fee

The home is located near the Cranbrook Educational Community, and over the years, the Smiths built an extensive art collection by Cranbrook artists that fill the house today.

The home, while still in private hands, is open for tours and special events.

Usonia was a word used by Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to his vision for the landscape of the United States, including the planning of cities and the architecture of buildings. Wright proposed the use of the adjective Usonian in place of American to describe the particular New World character of the American landscape as distinct and free of previous architectural conventions.The home is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photos are not allowed inside the home, but this lamp style is carried throughout the house.

Detroit’s Guardian Building

Detroit

Aug 022017

500 Griswold Street
Detroit, Michigan

There has been so very, very much written about the Guardian Building of Detroit, that my writing here is simply for me to remember this stunning building and that I had the pleasure of walking into it and staring.

The building is so massive it is difficult to photograph in its entirety, the roof line is exquisite and also hard to see when standing on the ground.

Built for the Union Trust Company the building is 486 feet tall with 40 floors and was the second tallest building in Detroit and the world’s tallest brick building when it opened in 1929.

The tangerine colored “Guardian Brick” was formulated by Rowland and there were almost 2 million bricks used in its construction, he chose these specifically because they were cheaper than other materials.

Pewabic Pottery can be seen on the lower portion of the building’s exterior facade, but from the brick up, the tiles are from the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company.

This tiled semi-circular dome sits over the main entrance which includes a person with outstretched arms who serves to welcome people into the building. While difficult to see the figure is also winged. The wings represent aviation, which was experiencing a boom during the time of the building’s construction

On either side of the tiled entryway, dome are these carved figures by Corrado Parducci. These exterior figures hold swords in their hands representing security and safety, to ensure depositors their money is safe.

Even the tree planters and the flag poles on the exterior of the building celebrate the “notched” design that can be found throughout the building.

Nicknamed “The Cathedral of Finance” the building held the money of one in every four bank depositors in the City of Detroit.

Upon entering the building you will be overwhelmed with the arched ceiling covered in Rookwood tile from the Rookwood Pottery company of Cincinnati, Ohio.

This pledge sits directly over the reception desk

At the end of the two elevator bays are these stained glass angelic figures

The elevator doors are etched and painted

Entry to the Banking Hall is through an elaborate grill of Monel metal. Monel is a mixture of copper, nickel, and aluminum. Above the entryway is the original Tiffany clock.

Looking at the Tiffany clock while standing in the Banking Hall

The Banking Hall is dominated by a mural by Ezra Winter representing Michigan and her industries.

The ceiling was stenciled by Anthony Eugenio who cut the entire ceiling himself. A crew of 10 painters used a pallet of 16 colors. Solid gold leaf adorns the sunburst arches; the rays of the sunbursts spread from the center of the ceiling down along the columns.

The tables of the bank also contain the notched design

The attention to detail in every square inch of this building truly does make it one of the greatest in Detroit. The building is open to the public on the ground floor with retail in the Banking Hall. Tours are given of the building on weekends by Pure Detroit.

Detroit’s Renaissance

Detroit

Aug 012017

The Book Building at 1249 Washington Blvd, Downtown Detroit

So much has been written about Detroit’s decline, and yet so little has been written about its renaissance. Yes, the outlying areas have a long way to go, but the new construction and renovations happening in the downtown area are staggering. This post by no means covers the enormous amount of renovation occurring, these are just a few of this author’s favorite buildings.

The Book Building, designed by Louis Kamper for the Book brothers, was built in 1917, the tower was added in 1926. There was considerable criticism about the building looking more like a wedding cake than an office building when it was erected, this author, however, has a fondness for caryatids and found the building charming. The building is undergoing a projected $400 million renovation by Bedrock Real Estate Services.

The Grand Army of the Republic Hall at 1942 Grand River Avenue in the West Necklace neighborhood

The Grand Army of the Republic Building was designed by architect Julius Hess and constructed in 1887 as a structure for meetings and other GAR related activities. The cost was split between the Grand Army of the Republic ( $6000 of the cost) and the city of Detroit (the remainder of the $44,000 total cost).

State Savings Bank at 151 West Fort Street and Shelby.

This is the only building in Detroit designed by McKim, Mead, and White, it was built in 1900.

Photo from Wikipedia

Slated for demolition in 2014, the building was purchased by a private investor. The owner did not disclose the purchase price or possible plans, however, one rumored use could be an auto museum.

The Fisher Building at 3011 West Grand Avenue.

The interior of the Fisher Building is a wonder to behold and a stroll through the enormous lobby is not to be missed. Named the “Building of the Century” by Detroit AIA this 1927 building, commissioned by the Fisher Brothers, was designed by eminent Detroit architect Albert Kahn. The Fisher family financed the building with proceeds from the sale of Fisher Body to General Motors

The attention to detail on the exterior of the building is also worth noting.

The three-story vaulted arcade is finished with forty different varieties of marble and ornamentation extolling the virtues of commerce, industry, and arts.

It is almost impossible to explain the interior ceiling murals.

The eagles with their wings slightly open, ready to take flight, symbolize an America ready to advance to greater things. Other eagles in and on the Fisher have their wings outstretched, symbolizing the power of the United States. Those with their wings tucked in, in a sheltering manner, show the nation’s strength and that it is sound.

The frescos, mosaics, and sculpture were designed by Geza R. Maroti, an artist from Budapest, Hungary. The artwork represents two major ideas: the wealth and power of the U.S. expressed through commerce and transportation, and American culture and civilization through music and drama.

Artists from Detroit’s Cranbrook School and an army of European artists worked on the interiors.

Set into the floor, is a large bronze shield in low relief. It featured a semi-nude figure of Mercury — the god of transportation and bearer of messages. Sadly, the details have been mostly eroded by decades of Detroiters walking over it. It has been roped off to prevent further damage.

Along the walls of the arcade are 26 lunettes with symbolical designs and subjects such as Agriculture, Art, Justice, Knowledge, Music, Navigation, Peace, and Thrift.

The elaborate frescoes were also designed by Maroti but carried out by artists Antonio and Tomas de Lorenzo of New York City.

The corridors on every floor are marble-faced with cove ceilings. The window sills are marble.

The Buhl Building at 535 Griswold

The exterior ornamentation of the Buhl Building is what drew me in. Designed by Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls in 1925 it showcases the sculpture of Corrado Parducci and tiles of Mary Chase Perry Stratton, of Pewabic Pottery.

The entryway vaulted ceilings are designed to be the night sky, and the tiles were produced by Pewabic Pottery.

Mies van der Rohe in Lafayette Park

The Mies van der Rohe Residential District is both an outstanding example of Modernist architecture and one of America’s most successful post-World War II urban redevelopment projects. Three distinct sections cover the 46-acre project: 21 multiple-unit townhomes (pictured below) and a high-rise apartment building, 13 acre Lafayette Park consisting of recreation facilities, and a school and finally twin apartment towers and a shopping center. In 1956 developer Herbert Greenwald brought together architect Mies van der Rohe, city planner Ludwig Hilberseimer, and landscape architect Alfred Caldwell to create an “integrated community” that would “attract people back to the heart of the city.”

Michigan Central Train Station in Corktown near the Ambassador Bridge

This Beaux-Arts Classical style train station was designed by the Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stem, the same firms who designed New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.

When the 18 stories tall train station opened in 1913, it was the tallest train station in the world and one of the tallest buildings in the city of Detroit. The high-rise part of the building was originally built to house offices; the depot itself is three stories tall. Part of what makes the building so visually striking is the fact that no other tall structures are immediately nearby.

Primarily due to the success of Detroit’s own auto industry the last train to ever leave Michigan Central Station pulled away in January of 1988 and the building has sat unoccupied ever since.

The building is owned by the Moroun family, who also owns the Ambassador Bridge. Neglect has brought this Nationally Registered landmark close to demolition on more than one occasion. It had all 1050 windows replaced in 2015 and hopes are that more will be done to preserve this gem.

Ford Motor Company has purchased the building as of June 2018. Here is a great article with photos of the interior in the New York Times.

The last of the buildings in this strange wanderings is the Dymaxion House at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

This aluminum house, designed by Buckminster Fuller in 1929, was meant to handle the masses of servicemen returning from the war. It was to be mass-produced, easily reused, and completely recyclable.

Built on a central core holding much of the utilities, the house radiated out from there

Market expectations, continual design changes, and other setbacks kept the house from being a reality, but the fact that its hybrid sits in the Ford Museum makes for fun viewing.

There are truly so many fabulous buildings, and history, in Detroit. If you are going, I suggest adding a considerable amount of extra time to explore the many, many office buildings, churches and government buildings that make up this amazingly architectural rich city.

Heidelberg Project

Detroit

Jul 312017

3600 Heidelberg St
McDougall Hunt Neighborhood
Detroit, Michigan

Just 15 minutes away from the African Bead Museum is the Heidelberg Project. I went anticipating a fabulous folk art installation due to all the hype, disappointing is the kindest word I can use. That being said, the motivation behind the project and the heart poured into it, should not ever be dismissed.

There are three over riding themes to the Heidelberg project: clocks, faces, and shoes. The clocks are to remind you that it is never too late to act. You may think you do not have the time, or it is too late, but no, it is always time to act.

There are faces everywhere, these are the faces of God.

The shoes represent the “soul”. Do not judge me until you walk a mile in my shoes.

The Polka Dot House is where Tyree’s mother and sisters live.

The Heidelberg Project is the brainchild of Tyree Guyton who was assisted by his wife, Karen, and grandfather Sam Mackey. Guyton is a painter and sculptor described as an urban environmental artist. Like others, he has waged a personal war on urban blight on Detroit’s East Side, transforming his neighborhood into a living indoor/outdoor art gallery. Through his art, Guyton has drawn attention to the plight of Detroit’s forgotten neighborhoods and spurred discussion and action. The strength in this installation is the fact that it is a political protest. Guyton’s childhood neighborhood began to deteriorate after the 1967 riots, coming back to Heidelberg Street after serving in the Army, Guyton was astonished to see that the surrounding neighborhood looked as if “a bomb went off”.

Guyton started by painting his Mother’s house with bright dots of many colors and attaching salvaged items to the houses in the neighborhood. It was a constantly evolving work that transformed a hard-core inner city neighborhood where people were afraid to walk, even in daytime, into one in which neighbors took pride. While Tyree’s work is truly inspirational and excellent, for some reason the Heidelberg Project does not reflect the high quality of artistic ability that the man possesses.

However, he is a strong member of his community and includes children whenever he can, which is possibly reflected in the work, in other words, it is more community art than individual art. The city of Detroit has destroyed many of the installations and yet it stands as a true testament to the power of creativity in creating hope and a bright vision for the future.

The neighborhood seems to be mixed about the project. There are signs everywhere asking that you do not photograph the homes or the occupants, and at the same time, they sit on their stoops asking for money to help with their repairs. The more enterprising sell water, and snacks. They are all so very friendly, however, that handing over a buck or two is done with pleasure.

In 2019 the project began to wind down, you can read all about it in this New York Times article.

African Bead Museum

Detroit

Jul 252017

Dabls’ MBAD African Bead Museum
6559 Grand River Avenue
Detroit, Michigan

I had the absolute privilege to speak with Olayami Dabls, the creator of Dabls’ African Bead Museum (pictured above), and he told me some of his story. He began this project during the Clean Up Detroit program, a project to help clear all of the empty lots of the trash and building parts left after many homes were bulldozed.

This house, now in the hands of an architect, was once owned by the City.

The N’kisi Iron House, now in the hands of an architect, was once owned by the City.

The African Language Wall

He repeated often, how he was surprised the city had not shut him down and how happy he was to just keep doing what he was doing. He did point out that an architect had purchased the building next door from the city. Olayami offered to remove all the art, the architect was happy with it just the way it is, and I for one am very glad that he saw the value in what this folk art brings to this part of town. I highly doubt the city is going to stop him anytime soon as the museum has received a $100,000 grant from theKnight Foundation . If you are interested in helping with matching funds you can do so here.

Photo from the African Bead Museum website

There is a very complete bead shop on the first floor of 6559 for shopping to your heart’s content.

Olayami Dabls’ visual story telling uses a wide range of materials. His work uses references from African material culture to tell stories about the human condition. Using iron, rock, wood, and mirrors, Dabls found that these four materials are primary building blocks that speak universally to all cultures.

“Yeah, the students are made out of rocks. The exhibit is Iron Teaching Rocks How to Rust. And, of course, rocks cannot rust, but you can teach people to believe pretty much anything you want them to believe. And they will.” Olayami Dbals. From an interview to Michigan Radio

A mad hatter’s tea party?

Dabls moved to Detroit with his parents from Mississippi because of the political and social unrest in the South during the 60s.

“In the years between 1975-1985, Dabls joined the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History as a curator and artist-in-residence. There, he learned how challenging it was to talk about the civil rights movement because in talking about emotionally charged history, there is no fixed perspective, only the memories, and experiences of millions of individuals. This inspired him to create the African Bead Museum as a space for communal understanding through his own sculptures and his collection of African material culture.”

Thank you Olayami Dabls for bringing such beauty and brightness to a small corner of Detroit.

For those of you that are curious, and have gotten to this point and wondered, MBAD are the initials of Olayami’s children. Their names are: Makada, Barkan, Alake, and Davida, and please, forgive me all four of you if I have spelled them wrong.

Pewabic Pottery

Detroit

Jul 242017

1025 Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, Michigan

Pewabic Pottery is a ceramic studio and school founded in 1903 by artist Mary Chase Perry Stratton and Horace James Caulkins.

Caulkins was considered a high-heat and kiln specialist, and developed the “Revelation kiln”. Caulkins invented the kiln to help with his dental supply business, he then sold his kilns to other dentists so they could fire enamel for their patients.

Mary Perry Stratton was “the artistic and marketing force. Mary Stratton established the ceramics department at the University of Michigan and taught there. She also taught at Wayne State University. In 1947, she received the highest award in the American ceramic field, the Charles Fergus Binns Medal.

The collaboration of two and their blend of art and technology gave the pottery its historic place in the International Arts and Crafts movement exemplifying the American Craftsman Style.

The pottery continues in operation today and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

The word Pewabic is derived from the Ojibwa (or Chippewa) word “wabic”, which means metal, or “bewabic”, which means iron or steel, and specifically referring to the “Pewabic” Upper Peninsula copper mine where Ms. Stratton’s father worked and where she spent time taking long walks with him.

Under Mary Stratton’s artistic leadership, Pewabic Pottery employees created lamps, vessels, and architectural tiles. They were known for their iridescent glazes and architectural tiles.

Mary Stratton passed away, at the age of 94, in 1961. In 1964 Caulkins’ son, Henry deeded the Pewabic building and property to Michigan State University, which operated the site as part of its continuing education program until 1979.

This was not a successful venture and eventually a nonprofit, the Pewabic Society, Incorporated was established to help bring back the company.

In 1981 the Pewabic Society took ownership of Pewabic restoring the building and revitalizing Pewabic’s design and fabrication program. At that time the Society also grew the mission to include education and the creation of a museum, archive and exhibition programs.

The overhead wheels drive a system that lies underground stirring powdered clay with water to create the many types of clays Pewabic uses. This system is original to the building

After the clay is removed from the mixing area it is run through this giant bladder to separate as much water as possible from the clay to make it a viable product to mold.

Pieces ready to be fired are placed on racks to head to the kilns

There are several different types of kilns at Pewabic, this large one lifts up as a box so that you can load pottery from all four sides, the box then comes down over the racks, allowing firing.

Many pieces have glaze applied, prior to firing, by a sprayer, this is not only faster, but ensures a consistent color throughout

Many pieces have glaze applied, prior to firing, by a sprayer in this booth, this is not only faster but ensures a consistent color throughout

Today the company is a vital part of the community. The company’s most notable work, which was done under Mary Stratton, is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.. The project consisted of arches outlined with iridescent Pewabic tile, huge ceramic medallions set in the ceiling, and fourteen Stations of the Cross for the crypt.

Most of the tiles that Pewabic manufactures are created in molds

Just a very small sampling of the molds

Much of the work at Pewabic is done on potters wheels.

Contemporary installations include Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Medical Center Children’s Hospital, and the Herald Square in New York City.

Pewabic also gives classes for budding and professional potters and ceramists.

The Saarinen House

Detroit

Jul 232017

Academy Way
Cranbrook
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

A tour of the Saarinen house is an amazing look into the perfectionism of Eliel Saarinen and his design beliefs and senses. The house combines Arts and Craft movement ideas with Art Deco elements for a stunning and harmonious work of art.

Decorative elements are integral to the architecture and include patterned brickwork and leaded glass windows with triangles, square and rectangles.

The home was built concurrently with sculptor Carl Milles next door for a cost $140,000 for the two. The typical cost of a home at that time in Detroit was $6250.

The home was completely restored in 1994, after having been changed by subsequent owners from 1950 to the 1990s.

The living room is anchored by a rug created and woven by Eliel’s wife and weaving artist Loja Saarinen. The pattern is meant to echo the brickwork of the building.

All of the wooden furniture was crafted at Cranbrook by Swedish cabinet maker Tor Berglund using Eliel’s designs. The woods included greenheart, African walnut, rosewood, and ebony.

The sofa is based on a Finnish tradition in which rugs were draped onto the floor so they could be folded up over the sitters feet and lap for warmth. In this case, Saarinen used the rug decoratively rather than functionally.

The andirons were designed by Saarinen are stylized peacocks.

The andirons, designed by Saarinen, are stylized peacocks.

The weaving above the fireplace is, again, by Loja Saarinen. The tiles on the fireplace were designed by Saarinen but they were made by Mary Perry Chase Stratton of Pewabic Tile Company.

Above the credenza is a painting of Loja Saarinen done by her husband Eliel

Silver designed by Saarinen

The globe table is the one piece in the house not designed by Berglund, it was, instead, designed by Saarinen’s son-in-law Robert F. Swanson. The lighting in the house while designed by Saarinen it was all manufactured by Edward F. Caldwell and Company.

The Book Room is stunningly separated from the living room by a simple change of color on the molding.

The table is covered in Saarinen designed silver pieces and pottery for Cranbrook Academy and the various Cranbrook schools

The dining room is one of the more spectacular rooms in the house. It is a square room made octagonal by the four corner niches. The table has an octagonal base but a circular top. The unique thing about the table is the four arch shaped extension leaves that came out from the exterior perimeter that allows the table to remain circular when expanded from an intimate 4 to a large 14.

The light is a gold-leaf-covered dome.

The wall hanging on the left was designed and woven by Finnish artist Greta Skogster. It depicts birds in a tree. It has open weave panels that mimic the panels of the dining room and allow you to see the birch wood behind the hanging.

Through the door is the butler’s pantry with a Monel metal countertops, a Frigidaire and the personal pottery of the Saarinen’s. The kitchen is on the second floor and is not open to the public.

This small, blue furniture, alcove sits on the landing of the second floor and is where breakfast was brought to Eliel and Loja at 7:30 am by the housekeeper. The second floor contains the master bedroom and bath with four additional rooms and a guest bath. The other rooms have been modified into a small apartment for the use of the museum curator and are not open to the public.

The doors on this floor had stencils on them by Saarinen daughter, Pipsan Swanson. When the home was restored it was impossible to determine what they were so the restorer, Director Gregory Wittkopp, utilized a pattern that Pipsan designed for the Kingswood School for girls, which is part of Cranbrook.

Son, Eero Saarinen was 20 years old when his parents asked him to design the furniture for the bedroom. This would be one of his first commissions and the beginning of a successful architecture and furniture design career.

Loja Saarinen’s dressing table, designed by son Eero, the lamp and mirror were designed by his father Eliel.

The Saarinen studio, located on the first floor, is broken into three sections. The alcove, dubbed the “cozy corner” by Loja, was the main entertaining and work area.

Art pieces by daughter Pipsan

The above photo is the far end of the studio. The center of the studio consisted of drafting tables and large windows for light.

The exquisiteness of this home and the incredible, masterful attention to detail is found throughout all of the buildings designed by Saarinen on the Cranbrook campus.

Saarinen was the chief architect of Cranbrook. During his tenure, he designed Cranbrook School for boys (1925-1929), Kingswood School for Girls (1929-1931), Cranbrook Institute of Science (1935-1938), Cranbrook Academy of Art (1925-1942) and Cranbrook Art Museum and Library (1938-1942). He also served as the Academy’s first president from 1932 – 1946 and headed the Department of Architecture and Urban Design from 1932-1950.

The home is operated by Cranbrook Art Museum and is open for tours from May through October.

Detroit’s Giant Tire

Detroit, Michigan

Jul 212017

Along Interstate 94 West
Between the Southfield Freeway interchange and Outer Drive overpass
Allen Park, Michigan

This giant Uniroyal Giant Tire was originally created by the Uniroyal Tire Company for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, as a Ferris wheel.

The wheel was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the architectural firm that designed the Empire State Building. Over 2 million people, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Telly Savalas, and the Shah of Iran took a spin in one of its 24 four-passenger gondolas.

In 1965, after the fair, the tire was disassembled and put back together minus the gondolas. It originally stood outside of a Uniroyal sales office, the office moved, the tire did not.

A nail was placed in the tire in 1998 to advertise Uniroyal’s NailGard tires, the nail was removed in 2003. At that time the tire was renovated at a cost of $1,000,000.