Edsel and Eleanor Ford House

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United States of America - Michigan - Grosse Pointe Shores

Institution Code:

BGCI Member: No

About the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House

The Fords wanted a setting for their home that provided both wide-open and intimate outdoor spaces, with special places for sports, relaxation, nature and gatherings.

Jens Jensen, one of America's foremost landscape designers and conservationists, designed the Ford House garden landscape between 1926 - 1932. Known as the master of the naturalistic approach to landscaping, Jensen's design style combines woodlands, meadows and wetlands in such a natural way that guests are usually not conscious of any man-made design. Jensen was known for his use of native plants, the sense of vast open space, the play of light and shadow and the element of time and season's change.

His approach to landscape architecture sought to engage all five human senses- the sight of many colors and shapes, the sound of water running, the smell of flowers in bloom, the taste of berries, and the feeling of being surrounded by nature.

Main Address:
Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
1100 Lake Shore Road
Grosse Pointe Shores
Michigan MI 48236, United States of America

Telephone: (313) 884-4222
Fax: (313) 884-5977
URL: http://www.fordhouse.org/
Primary Email:

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Unknown
    Curator's Name:
    Plant Records Officer's Name:

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Other
  • Status
  • Status: Private: Yes
  • Date founded: 1929
  • Physical Data
  • Landscaped Area: Yes
  • Latitude: 42.454326
    Longitude: -82.873728
    Altitude: 0.00 Metres
  • Locality: Information
  • Locality: Garden Name: Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
  • Local Address: 1100 Lake Shore Drive Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
  • Locality: City: Grosse Pointe Shores
  • Locality: State: Michigan

Features and Facilities

  • Open to public: Yes

Plant Collections

Conservation Programmes

Research Programmes

Education Programmes

  • Visitor/Education Centre: Yes
    Guided Tours: Yes
    Special Exhibitions: Yes