Hidden History: Midcentury Modern Architecture in Grosse Pointe
W. Hawkins Ferry House and Deborah Lubera Kawsky
Hidden History: Midcentury Modern Architecture in Grosse Pointe
Deborah Lubera Kawsky, Art Historian, Ph.D.
Friday October 16
6:00-7:30pm
Ann Arbor District Library Program Room, 4th Floor
While the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe is best known for historical revival-style residences, it is also home to MidCentury Modern masterpieces by Marcel Breuer, Alexander Girard, William Kessler, Paul Rudolph, Minoru Yamasaki and others. This phenomenon reflects the prosperity of Metro Detroit at midcentury, Michigan’s primacy in modern design, and the existence of aesthetically adventurous Grosse Pointe patrons. Join art historian Dr. Deborah Lubera Kawsky to explore the backstories behind iconic MidCentury structures such as Breuer’s Grosse Pointe Central Library (1953), Girard’s McLucas House (1950), Kessler’s W. Hawkins Ferry House (1964) and Rudolph’s Frank and Anne Parcells House (1970). Photo Credit: James Haefner, Rear Elevation, W. Hawkins Ferry House