Fair Lane was the name of Henry Ford's estate in Dearborn, Michigan. It was named after an area in County Cork where his adoptive grandfather, Patrick Ahern, was born. The extensive 1300 acre (5.3 km²) estate along the River Rouge included a large limestone house, electrical power plant on the dammed river, boathouse, stables and gardens designed by Jens Jensen. The estate was eventually donated to the state, part of it is preserved as a historic landmark, part as a wooded nature area and part was used for the campus of the University of Michigan, Dearborn. Time Magazine, January 14, 1935 Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and is credited with contributing to the creation of a middle class in American society. ... Dearborn is a city of nearly 98,000 people located in the Metro Detroit metropolitan area and Wayne County, Michigan in the United States. ... County Cork (Contae Chorcaí in Irish) is the most southwesterly and the largest of the modern counties of Ireland. ... The Rouge River, sometimes incorrectly called the River Rouge, is a river in the Metro Detroit area of southeastern Michigan. ... Jens Jensen was an Australian politician. ... University of Michigan, Dearborn The University of Michigan-Dearborn, located in Dearborn, Michigan is part of the University of Michigan system. ...

Front entrance of house

Henry Ford originally approached Frank Lloyd Wright to design the house; however, Wright eloped to Europe and Marion Mahony Griffin designed the house in an imitation of Wright's Prairie Style. Henry Ford and his wife took a trip to Europe and on returning dismissed this architect and used William H. Van Tine to add English manor house details to the design. The house with 56 rooms and 31,000 square feet (3,000 m²) was considered less grandiose than other great houses of the era. It included an indoor pool and bowling alley. The pool is now covered over and serves as a restaurant. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1707x920, 206 KB)Henry Fords Fair Lane estate, front entrance, Photo by rmhermen File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1707x920, 206 KB)Henry Fords Fair Lane estate, front entrance, Photo by rmhermen File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was one of the most prominent architects of the first half of the 20th century. ... Marion Lucy Mahony Griffin (1871 - 1961) was an American artist and the first licenced female architect in the world. ... Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century style of design in the Midwestern United States developed by architect Louis Sullivan and his followers William Gray Purcell and George Grant Elmslie. ...

The powerhouse had its cornerstone laid by Thomas Alva Edison and not only powered the estate by hydropower but also a part of the town of Dearborn. It included the estate's garage and on the upper level a laboratory where Ford worked on engine designs. The powerhouse is also built of limestone in the Prairie Style. Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 - October 18, 1931) was an inventor and businessman who developed many important devices. ... Hydraulic turbine and electrical generator. ...

Several gardens, lawns and flower beds surrounded the house. The largest, the "Path of the Setting Sun" is aligned so that the setting sun of the summer solstice shows through a gap in the trees at the end of the meadow. Solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the Sun in relation to the celestial equator. ...

The boathouse allowed Henry Ford to travel on the Rouge River in his electric boat. The staff's houses and pony barn are used by the university, one of which contains a children's day care center.

Some 72 acres (290,000 m²) of the original estate are managed as a National Historic Landmark. USS Constitution. ...

The Fairlane line of Ford autos was named after the estate. 1955 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria 1957 Ford Fairlane 1966 Ford Fairlane GTA 1997 Ford Fairlane Ghia The Ford Fairlane was an automobile model sold between 1955 and 1971 by the Ford Motor Company in North America. ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ...

External link

• Henry Ford Estate