LISTING OF THE DAY
Location: Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
Price: $4.75 million
Constructed in 1929, this imposing Colonial Revival mansion on historic Windmill Pointe Drive in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, sits on a lot facing Lake St. Clair and houses a 1,000-square-foot, two-story library.
Attorney Hal H. Smith, a partner at Beaumont, Smith and Harris, commissioned renowned architectural firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls to build and design this lavish colonial revival house. A noted patron of the arts in Detroit, he would often hold large gatherings and functions in the home.
“He was quite an influential individual,” said listing agent Jeffrey Llaneza of Lux Partners Global at Signature Sotheby’s International Realty. “The layout and the presence of the house on the lot is done to maximize the views of the water and create presence, even from the road.”
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Numerous windows look out of the back of the house onto the lake, including the library, the kitchen and the dining area. Upstairs are five luxury-sized bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.
The current owner, who has owned the home for more than 40 years, finished off the third floor and installed a movie theater and an art gallery. “That square footage actually adds about another 5,000 square feet not included in the official total,” Mr. Llaneza said. “It’s quite grand.”
The home also features its original elevator. “Part of the beauty of this home is its historical nature and the quality of the workmanship and building materials,” Mr. Llaneza said.
The home is situated on Lake St. Clair, which connects the Great Lakes that surround Michigan. “There is a sea wall right on the back of the property, and you could certainly bring your boat up there and dock right next to it. You can see international freighters cruising by in the backyard as they enter the mouth of the Detroit River behind this home,” Mr. Llaneza said. “It’s quite lovely watching them go by in the summertime while you’re in the pool and by the water.”
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Stats
The 14,547-square-foot home sits on a 1.9-acre lot and has five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two partial bathrooms.
Amenities
The home features a steam room with marble flooring and a heated in-ground pool that is surrounded by a bluestone patio. There is also a greenhouse and an underground lawn sprinkler.
Car enthusiasts will appreciate the dual-entry, Belgium-block, granite-lined driveway, grand motor court and four-door garage. The house has a slate roof, a limestone trimmed exterior and is equipped with a security system. Inside, there are three fireplaces, hardwood flooring, a media room/home theater and a kitchen breakfast bar with granite countertops.
Talking Point
The clear centerpiece of this grand home is the library, which was originally designed as a separate free-standing structure.
“The roof is six inches of concrete and teal—it’s almost like a bunker,” said listing agent Mike Kuligowski of Lux Partners Global at Signature Sotheby’s International Realty. “Mr. Smith was so concerned about the chance of a fire and the possible loss of his book collection that he wanted to be able to protect it. It’s really mind-boggling—especially for that time period.
The current owner hired Polish-American painter Andrzej Sikora to paint elaborate murals on the dining room ceiling, the kitchen ceiling and other flourishes throughout the house and he did the same on the barrel-shaped 21-foot tall library ceiling as well.
“I love taking the trap door entrance up to the second-floor of the library and seeing the attention to detail that the hand-painted ceiling has with the moldings and the wood,” Mr. Kuligowski said. “There isn’t one knot or imperfection in the select-grade walnut wood up there. You couldn’t even get those materials now. You’re taken aback by how incredible the scale is and how much work went into this home when it was built. It will hold between 5,000 and 10,000 books, depending on the size of the books.”
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Neighborhood Notes
Grosse Pointe Park is a prestigious suburb of Detroit and considered a blue-ribbon school district. This property on Windmill Pointe Road is adjacent to several neighboring mansions on the shore of Lake St. Clair. “This is where the Henry Ford family lived,” Mr. Llaneza said.
“Grosse Pointe South High School, which is one of the top schools in Michigan, is nearby, so it would make a great family home. However, we are actually seeing a lot of people from out of the area and even out of the country who are interested in it as a secondary or vacation home.”
Agents: Jeffrey Llaneza and Mike Kuligowski, Lux Partners Global at Signature Sotheby’s International Realty
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