“NOAA is proud to support the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in their important work to restore habitat and bring benefits to Great Lakes fisheries and communities,” said Sunny Snider, deputy director of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation.

This project will reduce the impact of waves and flooding, reduce polluted runoff and nutrient loads, and increase recreational fishing opportunities. It will also increase public access to the inaccessible shoreline for future educational and recreational activities. NOAA considers this project one of the top three priority coastal restoration projects in the State of Michigan.

“Knowing that the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has put their trust in Ford House to care for and protect our native species and the remarkable shoreline is, simply put, tremendous,” says Ford House President & CEO Mark J. Heppner. “Eleanor and Edsel Ford truly loved their home and this beautiful community. It is wonderful knowing that we can continue to serve as stewards of Eleanor’s wishes while having greater impact and relevancy.”

“It’s absolutely transformational,” says Kevin Drotos, Ford House Landscape and Natural Areas Manager and Project Manager for this Federal grant. “At some point in the past, concrete and cement slabs were placed along the shoreline of Ford Cove to protect it from erosion. But doing so actually harms the natural habitats of many native species. By restoring the shoreline to its natural condition, we can support our local wildlife and provide more sustainable care to the estate and its shoreline

Phase One of the project includes an initial $490,000 award to begin engineering and design work. Project implementation is expected to occur between ten to twelve months after the engineering and design phase.

“We know that this may disrupt some of the experiences that visitors have come to enjoy,” adds Heppner, “but in the end, this enormous project will be transformational for everyone: our guests, members, staff, the community, and Mother Nature. We aim to leverage this project to become a leader in environmental stewardship and help ensure a more sustainable future.”

Ford House has launched a new section of its website to share updates and more details on continued and new sustainability programs. Visitors can learn more at www.fordhouse.org/sustainability.

About Ford House

Edsel & Eleanor Ford House is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and National Historic Landmark dedicated to preserving and sharing the legacy of the Ford Family. Ford House is located at 1100 Lake Shore Rd. in Grosse Pointe Shores. The historic lakeside estate was the family home of Edsel Ford – Henry and Clara Ford’s only son – where he lived with his wife Eleanor and their children beginning in 1928. Since 1978, Ford House has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to share Eleanor Ford’s vision of preserving the estate for future generations through interpretive tours, family activities, lectures, exhibits, gardens, and grounds events. It inspires, educates, and engages visitors through the exploration of its unique connections to art, design, history, and the environment while celebrating family traditions and community relationships. For more information, visit www.fordhouse.org or call (313) 884- 4222, and connect with Ford House on Facebook and Instagram.

“We are truly honored to receive this award from the Michigan Historic Preservation Network,” says Rebecca Torsell, Ford House’s Director of Preservation. “In honoring Eleanor’s wish that the estate be preserved for new generations to enjoy, we worked diligently with skilled artisans and craftspeople from around the globe to ensure that this work restored the pool and lagoon to how it appeared during the family’s time here.”

This project was one of Ford House’s most extensive restorations to date and involved landscape architects, architects, and engineers from Detroit-based Albert Kahn Associates, whose founder, the legendary Albert Kahn, designed the Main Residence and service buildings in the 1920s. Ensuring historical accuracy was critical in this process, and architects from Albert Kahn Associates used archival materials, including original plans, architectural drawings, historical photographs, and family films, to ensure that the pool and lagoon were restored to their original condition.

View all awards and recognition here.

The National Recognition Award is a prestigious distinction honoring projects demonstrating exceptional engineering excellence at the national level.

Ford House is excited to announce that we, along with our building team Frank Rewold & Sons; Architect, Engineer, and Sustainability Consultant SmithGroup, will be recognized during the 2023 EEA Gala Dinner and Awards Program, on June 13, 2023, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Downtown Washington, D.C.  

This award is truly an honor to us, and we thank everyone that has helped make this project a successful one and the wonderful visitors and Ford House members that get to enjoy these beautiful buildings with us.

We thank you, ACEC!

Congratulations to Ford House, American Interiors, SmithGroup, and Frank Rewold & Sons for winning the CREW Detroit Impact Awards ‘Member to Member’ category

• SMITHGROUP submittal video
• Member to Member submittal video

Ford House, the historic estate of Edsel and Eleanor Ford, opened its most significant expansion in Spring of 2021-a 40,000 square foot Visitor Center and 17,000 square foot Administration Building. With an emphasis on sustainability and design, the buildings allow o expanded programming and amenities and lets the estate restore spaces in the historic home where staff were previously located. The architecture reflects a modern twist on the Tudor revival mansion. The buildings were designed to have net-zero energy usage and features solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, bird-safe glass, bioswales to clean runoff water, electric vehicle charging stations and native plant landscaping.

Ford House has been overwhelmed with positive feedback from their visitors. Visitors appreciate the new dining and event spaces, the expanded programming they can now offer, the beautiful views of Lake St. Clair and Ford Cove, and the detail taken in the design inside and out. Ford House mission is to be an asset to the community and they have given their community a convening space to better engage with the historic estate, the lakefront and the natural environment.

At Ford House, our new state-of-the-art Visitor Center and Administration Buildings go beyond enhancing the experience of our visitors. The buildings were designed to be net-zero energy to promote sustainability and preserve our surrounding natural ecosystem.

Join us virtually as we celebrate on November 1^st and learn more about our sustainability efforts.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcud-qvrzwqHtee7-i-f70-s5PAj8OG0goY