Built in 1927, this is one of the grand old mansions of Grosse Pointe Farms. Wochit
“She’s a grand old lady,“ said the previous owner when he turned over this Grosse Pointe Farms mansion. “Take good care of her.”
“And I have,” said the current owner. That includes coddling the 30-year-old koi who live in the stone pond and calling the 100-year-old Detroit Elevator Company to care for the home’s original Otis Elevator with its bronze gates.
Built in 1927, this is one of the grand old mansions of the Grosse Pointes, full of the flourishes wealthy folks wanted then. There’s the prohibition wine vault — the locked liquor room hidden behind paneling.
There’s the conservatory you see through a broad brick arch — an all-glass room that gets even more sparkle from a new crystal chandelier.
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There’s the grand foyer, where wide arched doors frame views to other rooms.There’s the separate men’s and women’s powder rooms with lounging areas to suit each gender.
There’s the stately staircase, where you climb a few stairs then pause on a landing like a stage, perhaps to wave good night to your guests.
Owner Mark Stewart has cared for it all and done some gentle adjustments, like changing the kitchen counters and floors to white Carrara marble and making its island bigger. And he’s opened the house up for dinner parties, musical soirees, barbecues, even a Great Gatsby Gala.
“Men came in tux and tails, women in long dresses and furs,” he said.
Stewart is just the fourth owner of the 90-year-old house, and none of them have severely changed it. That’s except for the one change most owners would want, which was done by a previous owner. The many small rooms where servants used to work and sleep have been blended into larger rooms for today’s use.
!["She's a grand old lady," said the previous owner when]()
1 of 40!["And I have," said the current owner. That includes]()
2 of 40![The handsome entry foyer has a ceiling of coffered]()
3 of 40![The current owner increased the glamor by adding five]()
4 of 40![The grand staircase includes a landing, at left, suitable]()
5 of 40![There's the grand foyer, where wide arched doors frame]()
6 of 40![The 32-foot-long living room includes oak paneling,]()
7 of 40![The 32-foot-long living room has a fireplace of carved]()
8 of 40![A chandelier in the living room.]()
9 of 40![Living room fireplace is carved granite. All main]()
10 of 40![A sitting area in the living room.]()
11 of 40![The former morning room has been renamed the Savoy]()
12 of 40![The fireplace in the Savoy Room.]()
13 of 40![A thick brick arch leads into the all-glass conservatory,]()
14 of 40![The conservatory has a broad brick arch Ñ an all-glass]()
15 of 40![View through the arched oak doors in the foyer into]()
16 of 40![In the library, the fireplace is set into one brick]()
17 of 40![The Prohibition wine vault in the library is hidden]()
18 of 40![The formal dining room shows elaborate trim and carved]()
19 of 40![The formal dining room shows elaborate trim and carved]()
20 of 40![Sitting area in the dining room.]()
21 of 40![A chandelier in the dining room.]()
22 of 40![Square feet: 8,625]()
23 of 40![The butler's pantry has the original glass-front cabinets.]()
24 of 40![The current owner changed the kitchen floor and counters]()
25 of 40![The original kitchen has been redone, expanded and]()
26 of 40![The kitchen.]()
27 of 40![The home was designed by noted architect H.F. Stanton,]()
28 of 40![The owners' suite is one of six bedrooms. Like many]()
29 of 40![A sitting area in one of the six bedrooms.]()
30 of 40![The view of the backyard from the living room.]()
31 of 40![Its acre-plus grounds have a koi pond and waterfall,]()
32 of 40![A gazebo in a backyard.]()
33 of 40![The roof is slate with copper gutters.]()
34 of 40![Built in 1927, this is one of the grand old mansions]()
35 of 40![The carriage house has space for three cars and an]()
36 of 40![The house stands on the edge of the Country Club of]()
37 of 40![A long driveway leads to the 1927 mansion, with its]()
38 of 40![Carved granite scrolls enhance the front entry.]()
39 of 40![Key features: Grand old Grosse Pointe Farms mansion]()
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So the service corridor on the second floor now has a family pool room, a poker room and a puzzle room. The third floor has an art space — “a beautiful place to paint or draw” — and a playroom.
As you'd expect, the original kitchen has been redone, expanded and opened up to the butler’s pantry, which has handsome original glass-front cabinets.
Stewart bought the house when he came back from living four years in a high-rise in Shanghai. “I just fell in love the moment I saw it,” he said of the sprawling house and grounds.
There’s the grand entry foyer with Pewabic tile and its wide arches. “That really defines the English manor, the Old World charm of the house,” he said.
The grandeur continues with heavy carved woodwork and elaborate plaster designs. Large bays surround main rooms. Tall casement windows are set into deep frames. Stewart swelled the grand mood with five large new crystal chandeliers.
The original mother-of-pearl buttons used to call servants are still in place and still work.
In winter he especially likes the library, he said. The fireplace is set into one brick wall with a fireside chair built into each side. It’s surrounded by bookcases and heavy oak paneling and a wine vault.
Another favorite room is the 32-foot-long living room, with a fireplace of carved limestone, oak paneling and heavy beams. “It’s a great room to entertain.”
Drawing on his years living in Europe and Asia, Stewart changed a morning sitting room into a bar and entertaining room in the dark, Egyptian mode of London's Savoy Club. He calls it his Savoy room.
The house stands on the edge of the Country Club of Detroit golf course. Its acre-plus grounds have a koi pond and waterfall, a copper fire pit surrounded by 14-foot sofas, a perennial garden and a fountain.
The roof is slate with copper gutters. The carriage house has space for three cars and an overhead car wash and drain. Its second floor is a two-bedroom apartment.
It was designed by noted architect H.F. Stanton, whose drawings come with the house, Stewart said. “It has the descriptions of how to build, where to build and where to place.”
Grand mansion on Provencal
Where: 330 Provencal, Grosse Pointe Farms
How much: $1.75 million
Bedrooms: 6
Baths: 5 full, 3 half
Square feet: 8,625
Key features: Grand old Grosse Pointe Farms mansion is in excellent shape with elaborate woodwork, carved plaster walls, glass conservatory, crystal chandeliers, original Otis Elevator, carriage house. Large, landscaped yard, golf course view.
Contact: Loraine Muccioli, Johnstone & Jonstone, 313-378-7999.
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