
Image Credit: Lucido Real Estate
The Grosse Pointes (commonly shortened to “The Pointes”) is a group of idyllic suburbs Northeast of Detroit, MI. These communities were originally part of Grosse Pointe Township, but broke up over various reasons in the late 19th and early 20th century. These suburbs are widely considered to be some of the nicest areas to live in Metropolitan Detroit. The Pointes are bordered by some of Detroit’s best neighborhoods, such as the equally idyllic community of East English Village, and some neighborhoods that seem to be undergoing a “revitalization” of sorts, such as Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers Neighborhood; a neighborhood where I found a row of probable Sears Arlington kit homes earlier this year (read about it *HERE*). An interesting historical tidbit about both neighborhoods is that they were originally part of the Grosse Pointes, but were annexed by Detroit over time. All in all, the Pointes are probably one of the best areas to live in all of Southeast Michigan.
The Pointes are often known for the various mansions lining Lake St Clair that were originally owned by and built for automotive barons; famous examples include the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House and the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. However, what many don’t know is that the Pointes also have a fair few kit homes; with examples ranging from the simple Sears Kilbourne, to the grand Sterling Vernon.
Over the past few years, resident Ben Gravel has been documenting the historic architecture of the Pointes, and has found many examples of kit homes from it.
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