That Car of Yours Built a Lot of House
Okay, maybe not your car. Yours may well have been made in Japan or Germany or in some exotic foreign land like...Tennessee. But your mother's car or your grandfather's car...chances are awfully good that those cars -- those being driven in the 1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s -- were made in and around Detroit. Millions of automobiles came out of Michigan in those days, returning millions to the men who owned the companies. The auto barons spent that money well, building magnificent mansions for themselves. They even built mansions for their little kids. You'll find them all around Detroit. If you want to see the big four that are open to the public, it will take a couple of days, so why not make a weekend of it?
Meadow Brook Hall
Last Modified: May 10, 2013
John Dodge's wealth bought him an enormous $4 million dollar mansion with 110 rooms, 24 fireplaces, and 39 chimneys on top. Unfortunately, he didn't live to see it built. His widow...
Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
Last Modified: Apr 24, 2013
Henry Ford's only son, Edsel, built his English Cotswold-style mansion beginning in 1926 on an 87-acre estate on the shores of Lake St. Clair. A few years later, he built a 2/3-sca...
3
Fisher Mansion
Last Modified: May 09, 2013
Lawrence Fisher, founder of Fisher Body Works and president of Cadillac Motors, built his spectacularly ornate mansion in 1927 on the Detroit waterfront. A blend of Italian Renaiss...
4
Henry Ford Estate
Last Modified: May 09, 2013
Fair Lane, the palatial estate of auto pioneer Henry Ford, is surprisingly modest as 56-room mansions go. It was built in 1914, only a few miles from the farm where Ford was born. ...