Grosse Pointe

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Region of the Detroit metropolitan area

title: "Grosse Pointe" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["geography-of-michigan", "metro-detroit", "coastal-resorts-in-michigan", "michigan-populated-places-on-lake-st.-clair"] description: "Region of the Detroit metropolitan area" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grosse_Pointe" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Region of the Detroit metropolitan area ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameGrosse Pointe
settlement_typeMetro Detroit
pushpin_mapMichigan
pushpin_label_positionnone
pushpin_map_captionLocation within the state of Michigan
image_mapGrosse Pointe (area), MI location.png
mapsize250
map_captionCities that are included as part of the Grosse Pointe area within Wayne County (bottom) and Macomb County (top)
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameUnited States
subdivision_type1State
subdivision_name1Michigan
subdivision_type2Counties
subdivision_name2Macomb and Wayne
subdivision_type3Cities
subdivision_name3Grosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe Farms
Grosse Pointe Park
Grosse Pointe Shores
Grosse Pointe Woods
area_footnotes
area_total_sq_mi40.78
area_land_sq_mi10.38
area_water_sq_mi30.40
population_as_of2010
population_footnotes
population_total45598
population_density_sq_mi4392.9
timezoneEST
utc_offset-5
coordinates
timezone_DSTEDT
utc_offset_DST-4
postal_code_typeZip code(s)
postal_code48230, 48236
area_code313
unit_prefImperial
::

| name = Grosse Pointe | official_name = | settlement_type = Metro Detroit | image_skyline = | imagesize = | image_caption = | image_seal = | pushpin_map = Michigan | pushpin_label_position = none | pushpin_label = | pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan | image_map = Grosse Pointe (area), MI location.png | mapsize = 250 | map_caption = Cities that are included as part of the Grosse Pointe area within Wayne County (bottom) and Macomb County (top) | image_map1 = | mapsize1 = | map_caption1 = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = United States | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Michigan | subdivision_type2 = Counties | subdivision_name2 = Macomb and Wayne | subdivision_type3 = Cities | subdivision_name3 = Grosse Pointe Grosse Pointe Farms Grosse Pointe Park Grosse Pointe Shores Grosse Pointe Woods

| area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = 40.78 | area_land_km2 = | area_land_sq_mi = 10.38 | area_water_km2 = | area_water_sq_mi = 30.40 | elevation_ft = | elevation_m = | population_as_of = 2010 | population_est = | pop_est_as_of = | population_footnotes = | population_total = 45598 | population_density_km2 = | population_density_sq_mi = 4392.9 | timezone = EST | utc_offset = -5 | coordinates = | timezone_DST = EDT | utc_offset_DST = -4 | postal_code_type = Zip code(s) | postal_code = 48230, 48236 | area_code = 313 | pop_est_footnotes = | unit_pref = Imperial ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/St._Paul_Grosse_Pointe.jpg" caption="French Gothic Revival]] structure was constructed in 1899 and designed by Harry J. Rill."] ::

Grosse Pointe (commonly known as the Pointes) is a group of five adjacent suburbs in the Detroit metropolitan area on the shore of Lake St. Clair, immediately east of the city of Detroit. It includes the cities of Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Shores, and Grosse Pointe Woods.

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 by Detroit on the south and west, Lake St. Clair on the east and south, Harper Woods (in Wayne County) on the west of some portions, and St. Clair Shores on the north. The cities are in eastern Wayne County, except for a very small section in Macomb County. The Pointes begin 6 mi northeast of downtown Detroit and extend several miles northeastward, in a narrow swath of land, to the edge of Wayne County. The name "Grosse Pointe" alludes to the size of the area, and its projection into Lake St. Clair.

Grosse Pointe is a suburban area in Metro Detroit, sharing a border with northeast Detroit's historic neighborhoods. Grosse Pointe has many famous historic estates along with remodeled homes and newer construction. Downtown Grosse 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 (except Grosse Pointe Shores) has several blocks of retail. Downtown Detroit is just over 7 mi 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.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Victorianhomes_GP.jpg" caption="The City of Grosse Pointe"] ::

|1900= 1160 |1910= 1982 |1920= 5088 |1930= 21462 |1940= 29648 |1950= 40181 |1960= 55141 |1970= 58899 |1980= 52022 |1990= 49300 |2000= 47780 |2010= 45598

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 by French farmers in the 1750s after the establishment of the French Fort Pontchartrain. Members of the British Empire began arriving around the time of the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, Grosse Pointe continued to be the site of lakefront ribbon farms: long narrow farms that each adjoin the lake, useful for irrigation and early transportation needs. Beginning in the 1850s, wealthy residents of Detroit began building second homes in the Grosse Pointe area, and soon afterward, hunting, fishing, and golf clubs appeared. Some grand estates arose in the late 19th century, and with the dawn of the automobile after 1900, Grosse Pointe became a preferred suburb 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 as Grosse 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.

A passenger rail line that connected Detroit to Mt. Clemens along the shore was operational by the late 1890s, making Grosse Pointe more accessible. As the automobile became the primary method of transportation and the rail line was decommissioned, the vista of what became Lake Shore Drive gradually improved. Lakeside estates are accessed from Lake Shore Drive and Jefferson 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 the Great Lakes waterway, an international border with Canada, and a focus on quality of education contributed to the successful development of the region. The Russell Alger Jr. House, at 32 Lake Shore Dr., serves as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial community center. Grosse Pointe contains fifteen recognized Michigan historical markers.

Culture and contemporary life

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Grosse_Pointe_townhouses.jpg" caption="Townhouses in Grosse Pointe."] ::

"The Village", concentrated along Kercheval Avenue in Grosse Pointe, serves as a central business district for the five Pointes with traditional street-side shopping. The Village had its own Sanders Candy and Dessert Shop, founded by Frederick Sanders Schmidt, who opened a store Detroit in 1875; it closed in 2020. 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 the public library. Grosse Pointe Park has retail and restaurants on cross-streets near its "Cabbage Patch" district, and a farmer'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 private clubs. The Country Club of Detroit in Grosse Pointe Farms has a golf course, tennis, and traditional amenities. The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, at the intersection of Vernier Road and Lakeshore Drive on Lake St. Clair, is an acclaimed boating club. 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, when Grosse Pointe was a cottage-town. The Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe has a golf course and other amenities. The Hunt Club, an equestrian club in Grosse Pointe, has horses and stables. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/GrossePointeMansion.jpg" caption="Georgian]] mansion in Grosse Pointe."] ::

Many prominent Detroiters have lived in Grosse Pointe, including members of the Ford family, including Edsel Ford (son of Henry Ford) and his wife, Eleanor Clay Ford, and Henry Ford II (grandson of Henry Ford). The Edsel 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 on HGTV's television program Dream Drives and in the films Grosse Pointe Blank and Gran Torino.

The region is home to University Liggett School, Michigan's oldest independent school, and two public high schools: Grosse Pointe South High School and Grosse Pointe North High School, which are the termini of the Grosse Pointe Public School System.

Newspapers and community organizations generally serve all five cities, as do the public library and school system, but municipal services are separate. The weekly Grosse Pointe News and the semi-weekly Grosse Pointe Times provide local news, as do the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.

Architecture

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/WindmillPt.jpg" caption="Tudor Revival]] mansion by [[Hugh T. Keyes]]."] ::

Grosse Pointe has historic architecture and some newer mansions. Albert Kahn designed the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House (1927) at 1100 Lakeshore Dr. in Grosse Pointe. Rose Terrace (1934–1976), the mansion of Anna Thompson Dodge, once stood at 12 Lakeshore Dr. in Grosse Pointe. Designed by Horace Trumbauer as a Louis XV-styled château, Rose Terrace was an enlarged version of the firm's Miramar in Newport, Rhode Island.

A developer bought Rose Terrace and demolished it in 1976 to create an upscale neighborhood, galvanizing local preservationists. The Dodge Art Collection from Rose Terrace is displayed at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The Italian Renaissance styled Russell A. Alger House (1910), at 32 Lake Shore Drive, by architect Charles A. Platt serves as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.

Many noted architects designed works in Grosse Pointe including Albert Kahn, Marcel Breuer, Marcus Burrowes, Chittendon and Kotting, Crombie & Stanton, Wallace Frost, Robert O. Derrick, John M. Donaldson, Louis Kamper, August Geiger, William Kessler, Hugh T. Keyes, George D. Mason, Charles A. Platt, Leonard Willeke, Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Field, Hinchman, and Smith, William Buck Stratton, and Minoru Yamasaki.

Landmarks

::data[format=table]

NameImageYearLocationStyleArchitectNotes
Grosse Pointe Academy[[File:GrossePointeAcademy2.JPG180px]]1928171 Lake Shore Dr.
TudorWilliam Schickel,
Magginnis and WalshListed on the National Register of Historic Places. Formerly known as the Academy of the Sacred Heart.
Country Club of Detroit[[File:220countryclub.JPG180px]]1927220 Country Club Dr.TudorSmithGroup
Russell A. Alger Jr. House[[File:Moorings.JPG180px]]191032 Lake Shore Dr.
Italian RenaissanceCharles A. PlattGrosse Pointe War Memorial. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Beverly Road Historic District[[File:BeverlyRoadHistoricDistrict.JPG180px]]191123-45 Beverly Rd.
Colonial,
Neo-Renaissance,
TudorAlbert Kahn, Robert O. Derrick, Raymond Carey, and Marcus Burrowes, et al.Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ralph Harmon Booth House[[File:315Washington.JPG180px]]1924315 Washington RoadTudor, JacobeanMarcus Burrowes
JP Bowen House[[File:16628EastJefferson.JPG180px]]192716628 East JeffersonFrench colonialWallace Frost
Buck-Wardwell House[[File:Buck-Wardwell House.jpg180px]]184016109 East Jefferson, at Three MileColonialWilliam Buck
Christ Church Chapel[[File:ChristChurchChapel.JPG180px]]193061 Grosse Pointe Rd.
Neo-GothicBertram Grosvenor GoodhueListed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Defer Elementary School[[File:Defer Elementary School, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan (October 12, 2008).jpg180px]]192415425 Kercheval
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Charles A. Dean House- "Ridgeland"[[File:221Lewiston.JPG180px]]1924221 Lewiston.Mediterranean, TuscanHugh T. Keyes
Paul Harvey Deming House "Cherryhurst"[[File:PaulHarveyDeming.JPG180px]]1907111 Lake Shore Dr.
Tudorurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606141658/http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/13005.htmdate=2011-06-06 }}.Deming, Paul Harvey, House. Retrieved on April 5, 2008.
C. Goodlee Edgar House1910880 Lake Shore Dr.Colonial RevivalAlbert Kahn
Benson Ford House- "Woodley Green"[[File:WoodleyGreen.jpg180px]]1934635 Lake Shore Dr.GeorgianHugh T. Keyes
Edsel and Eleanor Ford House[[File:EdselFordHouse1.jpg180px]]19271100 Lakeshore Dr.
CotswoldAlbert Kahn,
Jens JensenPresident of Ford Motor Company, son of Henry Ford, the 20000 sqft estate is open to the public for guided tours. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, located in Macomb County.
Henry Ford II House[[File:160Provencal.JPG180px]]1957160 Provencal Rd.Georgian
Grosse Pointe South High School[[File:GPSouthHS.jpg180px]]192811 Grosse Pointe Blvd.
GeorgianGeorge J. HaasListed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Grosse Pointe Memorial Church[[File:GrossePointeMemorialChurch.JPG180px]]192716 Lake Shore Dr.Neo-GothicWilliam E.N. Hunter
Grosse Pointe Yacht Club[[File:Grosse Pointe yacht club.jpg180px]]1929Lake Shore Dr. at VernierVenetian
Henry B. Joy HouseLake Shore Dr. at KerbyAlbert Kahn"Fair Acres" estate, home of the President of the Packard Motor Company.
J. Bell Moran House- "Bellmoor"[[File:15420WindmillPointe.JPG180px]]192815420 Windmill Pointe DriveTudorRobert O. Derrick
Purdy-Kresge House[[File:1012ThreeMileDrive.JPG180px]]19291012 Three Mile DriveTudorLeonard Willeke
Saint Paul Catholic Church[[File:SaintPaulGrossePointeFarms.JPG180px]]1899157 Lake Shore Dr.
French GothicHarry J. RillListed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Murray Sales House[[File:251Lincoln.JPG180px]]1917251 LincolnNeo-RenaissanceLouis Kamper
Carl E. and Alice Candler Schmidt House[[File:CandlerSchmidt.JPG180px]]1904301 Lake Shore Rd.
TudorListed on the National Register of Historic Places.
William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House[[File:Stratten.JPG180px]]1927938 Three Mile Dr.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"Kasteel Batavia" R.W. Judson House[[File:KasteelBatavia15324WindmillPointWinterGrossePointe.JPG180px]]192715324 Windmill Pointe Drive.
TudorWallace FrostA 9931 sqft 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.
John T. Woodhouse House[[File:Woodhouse.JPG180px]]192033 Old Brook Ln.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sutton Residence[[File:175Merriweather.jpg180px]]1931175 Merriweather RoadColonialLouis Kamper
F. Caldwell Walker House[[File:211Vendome.JPG180px]]1929211 Vendome RdColonialRobert O. Derrick
::

Notable residents

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Edsel_Bryant_Ford.jpg" caption="[[Edsel Ford]] of Grosse Pointe was the son of [[Henry Ford]] and served as the President of the [[Ford Motor Company]]."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Roy_D._Chapin_hec.19010.jpg" caption="[[Roy D. Chapin]] of Grosse Pointe was the founder of the [[Hudson Motor Car Company]] and served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce."] ::

Notes

References

  1. (September 2012). "Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing". [[United States Census Bureau]].
  2. Clark, Brendel. (2025-09-14). "Small Michigan city once was French farmland and a summer retreat for the wealthy".
  3. Garcia, Bianca. (2020-09-15). "Opinion: Tear down the walls between the Grosse Pointes and Detroit".
  4. Farmer, Silas (1890). [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__Od5AAAAMAAJ ''History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan''], p. 129. Munsell & Co.
  5. (1996). "The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit". Princeton University Press.
  6. "Michigan Historical Markers".
  7. (June 4, 2020). "Sanders Candy will permanently close 4 stores in Michigan". Detroit Free Press.
  8. Farmer 1890, p. 340.
  9. A&E with Richard Guy Wilson, Ph.D.,(2000). America's Castles: The Auto Baron Estates, ''A&E Television Network''.
  10. Zacharias, Patricia (June 24, 2000).[https://archive.today/20130121102854/http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=97 Mrs. Dodge and the Regal Rose Terrace]. Michigan History, ''The Detroit News''. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
  11. [http://www.warmemorial.org/ Grosse Pointe War Memorial, the Russell A. Alger Mansion]. Retrieved on November 24, 2007.
  12. [http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/ Historic sites online] {{webarchive. link. (2009-03-13 ''Michigan Historic Preservation Office''. Retrieved on December 11, 2007.)
  13. (2002). "AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture". Wayne State University Press.
  14. Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A.. (1980). "Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition". Wayne State University Press.
  15. [http://www.gphistorical.org/autobarons/ford/index.htm Grosse Pointe Historical Society].
  16. [http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/16680.htm Russell A. Alger Jr. House] {{Webarchive. link. (2008-10-10 . ''Michigan Historic Preservation Office''. Retrieved on December 6, 2007.)
  17. [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/MI/Wayne/state.html National Register of Historic Places - Michigan: Wayne County]. ''National Park Service.'' Retrieved on December 12, 2007.
  18. [http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/13005.htm Michigan State Historic Preservation Objects] {{webarchive. link. (2011-06-06 .Deming, Paul Harvey, House. Retrieved on April 5, 2008.)
  19. [http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/9593.htm Edsel and Eleanor Ford House] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-06-06 . ''Michigan Historic Preservation Office''. Retrieved on December 6, 2007.)
  20. [http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/17891.htm Grosse Pointe High School] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-06-06 . ''Michigan Historic Preservation Office''. Retrieved on December 11, 2007.)
  21. [http://gphistorical.org/autobarons/joy/index.htm Henry B. Joy House].''Grosse Pointe Historical Society''. Retrieved on December 6, 2007.
  22. [http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/17713.htm St. Paul Roman Catholic Church Complex] {{webarchive. link. (2011-06-06 . ''Michigan Historic Preservation Office''. Retrieved on December 11, 2007.)
  23. Cox, Sarah and Jessica J. Trevin (September 26, 2011).[http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2011/09/-stylefontsize-9px-textalign-centerclick.php Sunday Mansion Touring]. Detroit.curbed.com, ''Detroit Free Press''. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  24. (July 29, 2025). "United States District Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III Is Elevated to Chief Judge".
  25. (July 30, 2019). "'Dark Psychic Force': Williamson Sounds Off On Race, Reparations {{!}} NBC News".

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geography-of-michiganmetro-detroitcoastal-resorts-in-michiganmichigan-populated-places-on-lake-st.-clair