The terms "Grosse Pointe" or "the Pointes" are ordinarily used to refer to the group of five communities, which have a total population of about 46,000. The Grosse Pointes altogether are 10.4 square miles, bordered byDetroit on the south and west,Lake St. Clair on the east and south,Harper Woods (in Wayne County) on the west of some portions, andSt. Clair Shores on the north. The cities are in easternWayne County, except for a very small section inMacomb County. The Pointes begin six miles (9.7 km) northeast ofdowntown Detroit and extend several miles northeastward, in a narrow swath of land, to the edge ofWayne County. The name "Grosse Pointe" alludes to the size of the area, and its projection into Lake St. Clair.[2]
Grosse Pointe is asuburban area inMetro Detroit, sharing a border with northeast Detroit's historic neighborhoods. Grosse Pointe has many famous historic estates along with remodeled homes and newer construction. DowntownGrosse Pointe, along Kercheval Avenue from Neff to Cadieux, nicknamed "The Village," serves as a central business district for all five of the Grosse Pointes, although each of them (exceptGrosse Pointe Shores) has several blocks of retail. DowntownDetroit is just over seven miles (11 km) west of this downtown area, accessed by Jefferson Avenue, or several other cross-streets.
The north–south area along Lake St. Clair generally coincides with the boundaries of the two public high schools. The southern areas (basically south and west of Moross Road) feature retail districts.
Grosse Pointe, recognized for its historic reputation for scenery and landscape, has grown from a colonial outpost and a fertile area for small orchard owners and farmers to a coastal community with prime real estate chosen for grand estates.
The Grosse Pointes were first settled byFrench farmers in the 1750s after the establishment of the FrenchFort Pontchartrain. Members of theBritish Empire began arriving around the time of theRevolutionary War. In the 19th century, Grosse Pointe continued to be the site of lakefrontribbon farms: long narrow farms that each adjoin the lake, useful for irrigation and early transportation needs. Beginning in the 1850s, wealthy residents ofDetroit began building second homes in the Grosse Pointe area, and soon afterward,hunting,fishing, andgolf clubs appeared. Some grand estates arose in the late 19th century, and with the dawn of theautomobile after 1900, Grosse Pointe became a preferredsuburb for business executives in addition to a retreat for wealthy Detroiters. By the 1930s, most of the southern and western areas of Grosse Pointe contained established neighborhoods, with remaining gaps and the northern sections such asGrosse Pointe Woods developing after the 1930s.
In 1960, it was revealed that realtors in suburban Grosse Pointe ranked prospective home buyers by using a point system with categories such as race, nationality, occupation, and “degree of swarthiness.” Southern Europeans, Jews, and Poles required higher rankings than Northwestern European people in order to move into the community, while Asians and Blacks were excluded from living in Grosse Pointe altogether. Private detectives were used to investigate potential residents’ backgrounds. The revelation of this practice moved the state corporation and securities commissioner to issue a regulation to bar the licensing of real estate brokers who discriminated on the basis of race, religion, or national origin. Public hearings brought the national attention to the real estate discrimination situation in Detroit, which resulted in the expansion of open housing activity in the city.[3]
A passengerrail line that connectedDetroit toMt. Clemens along the shore was operational by the late 1890s, making Grosse Pointe more accessible. As theautomobile became the primary method oftransportation and the rail line was decommissioned, the vista of what became Lake Shore Drive gradually improved. Lakeside estates are accessed from Lake Shore Drive andJefferson Avenue.
Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, Grosse Pointe has gained a reputation as a notable American suburb; entrepreneurial leadership, recreational activities afforded by theGreat Lakes waterway, an international border withCanada, and a focus on quality ofeducation contributed to the successful development of the region. The Russell Alger Jr. House, at 32 Lake Shore Dr., serves as theGrosse Pointe War Memorial community center. Grosse Pointe contains fifteen recognized Michigan historical markers.[4]
"The Village", concentrated along Kercheval Avenue inGrosse Pointe, serves as a central business district for the five Pointes with traditional street-side shopping. The Village had its ownSanders Candy and Dessert Shop, founded by Frederick Sanders Schmidt, who opened a store Detroit in 1875; it closed in 2020.[5] The Village has become a vibrant district with the emergence of mixed-use developments. Grosse Pointe Farms is home to "The Hill" district, located on a small bluff, which includes offices, stores, restaurants, and the main branch of thepublic library. Grosse Pointe Park has retail and restaurants on cross-streets near its "Cabbage Patch" district, and afarmer's market held weekly during the warm months. Grosse Pointe Woods' main business district lies along one of its main roads, Mack Avenue.
The recreational lifestyle historically associated with Grosse Pointe has given rise to many privateclubs. TheCountry Club of Detroit in Grosse Pointe Farms has a golf course,tennis, and traditional amenities. TheGrosse Pointe Yacht Club, at the intersection of Vernier Road and Lakeshore Drive on Lake St. Clair, is an acclaimed boating club.[citation needed] The Grosse Pointe Club, also called the "Little Club," is a highly exclusive, historic club on the lakefront, on a site where wealthy Detroiters and Grosse Pointers have gathered for recreation since its organization in 1885,[6] when Grosse Pointe was a cottage-town. The Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe has a golf course and other amenities.[citation needed] The Hunt Club, an equestrian club in Grosse Pointe, has horses and stables.[citation needed]
University Place,Georgian mansion in Grosse Pointe.
Many prominent Detroiters have lived in Grosse Pointe, including members of theFord family, includingEdsel Ford (son ofHenry Ford) and his wife, Eleanor Clay Ford, andHenry Ford II (grandson of Henry Ford). TheEdsel and Eleanor Ford House, at 1100 Lake Shore Drive, is open to the public for guided tours.
Each city has at least one municipal park along Lake St. Clair. The landlocked Grosse Pointe Woods has its park at the southern tip of St. Clair Shores, next to Grosse Pointe Shores. The municipalities bar nonresidents from the parks, drawing occasional dissent from residents of Grosse Pointe and other neighborhoods in Metro Detroit.Jefferson Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Detroit, becomes Lake Shore Drive between Grosse Pointe Farms and Grosse Pointe Shores, and is the scenic carriageway of all five Grosse Pointes, after skirting the eastern neighborhoods of Detroit. Lake Shore Drive was featured onHGTV's television programDream Drives and in the filmsGrosse Pointe Blank andGran Torino.
A developer bought Rose Terrace and demolished it in 1976 to create an upscale neighborhood, galvanizing local preservationists.[8] The Dodge Art Collection from Rose Terrace is displayed at theDetroit Institute of Arts. TheItalian Renaissance styledRussell A. Alger House (1910), at 32 Lake Shore Drive, by architectCharles A. Platt serves as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.[9]
Originally home of U.S. Minister to Denmark, Detroit Institute of Arts Philanthropist, and brother ofGeorge Gough Booth, 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2).
The mansion has 9,723-square-foot (903.3 m2) and is the former home ofHenry Ford II, chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company, grandson of Henry Ford.[13]
A 9,931-square-foot (922.6 m2) lakefront mansion, Original site of the Windmill with one of the only remaining original French missionary pear trees. Home of the President of Continental Motors.
Tentler, Leslie Woodcock with foreword by Edmund Cardinal Szoka (1992).Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Wayne State University Press.ISBN0-8143-2106-2.
Tutag, Nola Huse with Lucy Hamilton (1988).Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit. Wayne State University Press.ISBN0-8143-1875-4.
Woodford, Arthur M. (2001).This is Detroit 1701–2001. Wayne State University Press.ISBN0-8143-2914-4.
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