The Edsel Ford Mansion

This weekend my husband and I visited the Edsel and Eleanor Ford Mansion in Gross Pointe, Michigan. I mention it on my art blog because the Ford mansion was like its own art museum. I had no idea that I would learn so much about art history and culture from visiting this local treasure. I would highly recommend a tour to anyone who has a love and appreciation for art.

Edsel Ford was the son of Henry Ford and was a big part of the company. He designed the highly renowned Lincoln Continental. Him and his wife Elinore had an deep appreciation for art which was highly evident from the tour of their home. When they built their 30,000 square foot home, they wanted to ensure that they could make their home a place to display and collect fine art. Nearly every room in the mansion had historical pieces of fine art from a variety of artist from all different times.

The house itself was modeled after English architecture and styles. Many of the rooms were completely shipped in from Europe with elaborately engraved wooden walls. Every element in the mansion reflects a particular time period and it is filled with treasures from all eras. The Fords had a lot of famous original paintings throughout the house. They had furniture from the thirteenth century and stained glass from the fourteenth. It was remarkable to see the collection of invaluable treasures that one family had.

When learning about the Ford family I was really able to see what wonderful people they were. They were a huge contributor to the Detroit Institute of Arts and other museums throughout the country. They were especially interested in sharing the importance of the arts with the underprivileged and had many organizations to do so. Eleanor made certain that their entire mansion was preserved and kept as a museum to share their art and influence on the future generations. The Fords wanted art to influence and enrich the lives of all.