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Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – The Lost Estates – 525 Lakeshore
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on Tuesday, April 24th, 2018 at 1:39pm.
The Sheldon’s new home was an opulent mansion in the style of an Italian Villa. The exterior walls were faced with grayish-yellow bricks, while the roof tiles were green. The entrance, approached by a driveway, was at the rear of the house, nestled within an abundance of trees and shrubs. The front of the home faced Lakeshore, and had 1,100 feet of frontage on Lake St. Clair with a portion extending inland by 3,000 feet. Source: Grosse Pointe Historical Society.
The property also included three smaller buildings – a four-car garage, stables and a house for the gardener. Based on research by the Grosse Pointe Historical Society the house was named ‘Deeplands’ because the property extended back into the country.
The interior of the home was stunning, and no expense was spared in creating a luxurious interior for the family, and a fashionable showplace for the Sheldon’s many lavish parties.
Arthur Heun of Chicago designed the home. Mr. Heun was born in Saginaw in 1866. He initially trained in architecture at his uncles’ practice in Grand Rapids. In 1888, when he was 22, Heun moved to Chicago to work as a draftsman for Francis Whitehouse, one of Chicago’s most popular residential architects of that era. Five years later, 1893, Mr. Heun took full control of the practice due to the retirement of the firm’s distinguished owner. By now Arthur Heun had a fine reputation as a residential architect and was highly sought after. His work tended to follow the Prairie school aesthetic similar to his mentors Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan.
He created many homes in the Chicago area for prominent residents of the city, along with designing several country estates in the suburb of Lake Forest on the city’s North Shore. His work also included several commercial projects, including the Casino Club, and the Art Club in the city. Mr. Heun was also a skilled designer in the area of decorative arts. Early on in his career he was known for creating decorative glass panels, wall sconces and chandeliers. It is not clear, however, if any of these skills were applied to his work at Deeplands.
It is possible that 525 Lakeshore was Heun’s only project here in Metro Detroit, and certainly Grosse Pointe.
After the death of Mr. Sheldon (in 1941) the house was demolished, and the land was subsequently sub-divided. Sadly all that remains are the two streets named after the original estate – N. Deepland and S. Deeplands – along with the 80 homes that now occupy the original space.
We will be concluding our story of Grosse Pointe’s lost Lakeshore estates next week.
Written by Katie Doelle
Copyright © 2018 Higbie Maxon Agney & Katie Doelle
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83 Kercheval Grosse Pointe Farms,
MI, 48236
