Fair Lane

Completed in 1915, for the car manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947) and his wife, Clara Jane Bryant (1866-1950). Their 56-room limestone mansion covers 31,000-square feet. It took two years to build with input from four separate lead architects which contributed to its somewhat eclectic style. It overlooks the Rouge River on a 1,300-acre estate and is powered by its own hydroelectric plant, the cornerstone of which was laid by Thomas Edison. Ford named the house for the lane on which his maternal adoptive grandfather, Patrick Ahern, lived in Cork City, Ireland, before emigrating to Dearborn in Michigan. In 1957, Edsel Ford donated the property to the University of Michigan when it was opened to the public as a museum. Since 2013, it has been operated by non-profit group with financial assistance from the Ford family.