Preserving Fair Lane — An Iconic American Estate

Preserving Fair Lane — An Iconic American Estate (HM1O6M)

Location: Dearborn, MI 48128 Wayne County
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Country: United States of America
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N 42° 18.853', W 83° 13.944'

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Inscription
A Home for the Ages

William Van Tine was the architect of record for the design and construction of Clara and Henry Ford's 15th and final residence, Fair Lane. Earlier designs were completed by Von Holst and Fyfe of Chicago, IL and their representative, Marion Mahoney, who laid the foundation of the Main Residence. The home is 31,770 square feet, not including the Powerhouse, and has 56 rooms. Although originally 1,242 acres, the estate today retains 17 acres of gardens and grounds designed by landscape architect, Jen Jensen.

When completed in 1916, the home featured modern amenities and some of the greatest technological advancements of its time. Structurally, the home was built to last generations. Even so, years of use and the forces of nature have taken their toll.

The Power of Water

Although water played an important role in the original siting of the estate, it has become the estate's worst enemy. Many of the current issues that must be addressed to preserve the buildings and their interiors for future generations have been caused by water infiltration. Original water drainage lines have been inspected for integrity, cleaned and when necessary replaced to ensure proper performance.

The roof of the Main Residence was replaced in the 1990s but the integrity of the flatroofs were compromised. A challenge facing the project was the lack of historic documentation showing original tiling. Through historic photographs and consultation with historic tiling experts, a new roofing system with monitoring equipment is being installed.



Restoration in Action

In 2014 Quinn Evans Architects, SmithGroupJJR and Henry Ford Estate staff conducted research and developed plans to restore aspects of the Main Residence that would improve the visitor experience and provide protection from water damage. Major components include:

  • Installation of new underground storm water lines

  • Replacement of missing or damaged copper gutters and downspouts

  • Reconstruction of three tile flat roofs and Kitchen Service Courtyard

  • Reconstruction of failed stone walls at the Music Room Terrace and various window wells

  • Reconstruction of metal safety railing at multiple locations



Work started in early 2015 and is scheduled to be concluded by the end of 2015.
Details
HM NumberHM1O6M
Tags
Placed ByHenry Ford Estate
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 25th, 2015 at 9:02am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17T E 316025 N 4687077
Decimal Degrees42.31421667, -83.23240000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 18.853', W 83° 13.944'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 18' 51.18" N, 83° 13' 56.64" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)313
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 577 Fair Ln Dr, Dearborn MI 48128, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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