Auction Details
This enchanting Italian Renaissance Villa home, the iconic “Ridgeland” estate, sits on a sloping ridge of 1.3+/- acres. Built in 1924, so that “the house becomes part of the view from its own windows” was the brilliance of the famous Detroit architect, Hugh Tallman Keyes, responsible for many of the grand estates built in the roaring twenties.
Keyes is considered “one of the most prolific and versatile architects of the period.” Sprawling more than 8,800 square feet, Keyes designed a dramatic setting for large parties, which the original owner, Charles A. Dean, was famous for hosting. Ridgeland’s Italianate style showcases iconic arched doors and ceilings, loggias and balconies with wrought iron railings, a tower, and walls and beams painted with elaborate 14th-Century Florentine motifs expertly preserved.
An estate worth experiencing, Ridgeland upholds the prestige of the historically significant city of Grosse Pointe Farms. With history, notoriety, and stature, the Ridgeland estate stands for the next generation to cherish it.
Although there are beliefs that the Ridgeland estate has secrets that are still left untold, you will hold the key to unlock the gates to your very own secret garden. As your walk out from the residence great room and peer through the arch of Persian lilac, you discover absolute serenity. A picturebook setting as your eyes meet the three-tiered fountain with original brickwork surrounded in greenery.
Steps lead you down to the east lawn with a flagstone patio this is accessed by both the breakfast and family rooms. You feel a sense tranquility as you hear the trickle of the fountain built into the east brick wall, specifically and carefully crafted, as the entire design of the estate was, to “feel like its own enclosed community.”