An email tip from reader Anne led us to this stunning time capsule house in time capsule house in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, which is listed for sale by Kay Agney from Higbie Maxon Agney Realtors. (Trivia: GPP is yet another city where Pam has lived.) This stately house is a stunner indeed. And if you were in disbelief at our recent Portland, Oregon, house with five vintage pastel bathroom, well, hold on to your hat, because this Michigan beauty counts seven — yes, that’s seven — vintage pastel tiled bathrooms. (The listing says it has six because they can not technically count the bath in the basement, we are told.) Other exciting details in the house are a garden entryway with an amazing vintage tile fountain and coordinating patterned tile on the walls and floors, a curved staircase and several fantastic retro rec rooms. Thanks to Matti from Mixed Media, we have both wonderful photos of this property and a very extensive video tour (link now gone) to drool over, too. Not only does this house have unique details — but it also has an interesting history — involving a possible secret passage.
From the listing:
- Price: $849,000
- Year built: 1950
- Square footage: 7,481
- Bedrooms: 5
- Bathrooms: 7
This fabulous and lovingly maintained Georgian Colonial features an interesting history! The updated kitchen will delight any chef, the spacious bedrooms have private baths, and the 2nd floor family room offers a wet bar and bath! Paneled library, garden room with a fountain, and beautiful grounds are only the beginning! Finished lower level with wine cellar, rec room, 2nd kitchen and 6th full bath! Extensive use of Italian marble and custom tile! Located on a Boulevard one block from elementary school!
The current owners are the fifth owners of the home — and over the years, they have continued to restore and maintain this beautiful property.
We are pretty darn sure in our guess that the tile and fixtures in all the bathrooms are original. Look closely — three of the bathrooms have tile covering not just the walls and floor, but also the ceiling.
The pink bathroom has a shower, tub and a dressing area.
The profile of the mirror/medicine cabinet in this white and burgundy bath is awesome — and the tile so nicely edges the room’s windows and floor.
Here’s a combination we don’t see every day — a vintage maroon and grey tiled bathroom where maroon is the main color. The hex tile floor with flower motif is so charming.
By the time we get to the 7th bathroom — all the colors must have been used up. Even though it is only white on white — the basket weave tile floor adds interest. We’ll hazard a guess — housekeeper’s bathroom?
If the seven vintage ceramic tile bathrooms didn’t impress you — this tile entryway — dubbed “the garden room” sure will. Detroit is home to the famous Pewabic Tile company. We wonder if this is Pewabic.
Just look at the beautiful pattern on the walls and floor — and then there is tile work on the fountain — amazing.
Also of note — this game room with inset linoleum flooring in a fun argyle like pattern. The warm fall colors are a wonderful complement to the wood paneling on the walls — we’re ready for a Ping Pong tournament, for sure!
Just when you thought the surprises were over — check out this vintage yellow steel kitchen in the basement. Pam calls these as: American Brand cabinets — if you squinch your eyes, you can see the hold in the center of the base cabinet doors where the cabinet pull went. 52PnB, do you agree?
Mega thanks to Kay Agney from Higbie Maxon Agney Realtors for allowing us to feature this wonderful property… to Matti from Mixed Media for allowing us to feature his photos and video of this truly beautiful time capsule house… and to reader Anne for the time capsule tip. Honestly, readers, you are just the greatest with all these tips — keep them coming! ?
The 411:
- If you are interested in learning more about this property, contact Kay Agney: office (888) 886-4060 or email her at kay@higbiemaxon.com.
- See the complete listing here. (link from 2013 no longer active)
To see more, larger pictures — view the slide show below. Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:
The inset lineoleum in the game room… spectacular!
The Grosse Pointe’s and surrounding historic communities in the City of Detroit have a ton of amazing features, but most date back to the 1890’s- early 20th century. It is interesting to see a mid-century home and it is very fortunate that the majority of the original features have been maintained.
The price is nice, but you may want to peek at the property taxes – $22,764.36!
GAH! ::thud::
I thought you might want to check this one out. First time on the market since it was built.
http://takesunset.com/2013/05/11001-bellagio-place-in-bel-air/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+takesunset+%28Take+Sunset%29
On the bright side, that house doesn’t look like it needs much work. You don’t know what a joy it is to have salvageable wiring until you realize you don’t have it.
The tiled ceilings are just amazing!! I am a big fan of the blue one.
My mother worked with Kay Agney for years at Higbie Maxon, and as an agent herself, had many fabulous listings like this house. Detroit and environs is unmatched in America in my view for the number and quality of mid century modern homes…almost no one lived in apartments here, but in homes. Something a strong unionized auto sector did for a swelling middle class. This home in Grosse Pointe (where I was raised) is familiar to me, and like our home a few blocks away, had these fantastic bathrooms! Ours had crane fixtures and explosive tile colors too…
It was a mafia house…I grew up a few blocks from there, and could tell you the family’s name, but I might end up sleeping with the fishes….
OMG, I just want to live in that Master Bath – turquoise & pink HEAVEN. The Garden Room entryway! Holy crow! THANK YOU for sharing this amazing home! I just checked, and it’s still on the market, so all of this wonderfulness is still to be had…
and if by some chance, you didn’t check out the video, take the time to…it’s even better than the stills. Amazing!
Utterly breathtaking.
I am dying over the basement floor!!! Love it!
Loving how tile covers the ENTIRE room on a few of these. Like Mylar wallpaper did for bathrooms 25 years later.
I too am a Realtor, in suburban Detroit. I live in my second old home. The first one was in Detroit, in Rosedale Park. It’s #3 of the top three historical areas. I now live in Rosadale Gardens, Livonia. This neighborhood was built by the same builders as Rosadale gardens. Only, in suburbia. We now have an historical designation, which I love. My home was built in 1936. Most of the old “stuff” was gone by the time I moved here 16 years ago. But, there is nothing to compare with these REAL solid wood floors, wet plaster wall with coved ceilings and all the funny little nooks an crannies of homes built in that era. Also, all over my neighborhood, the homes have absolutely beautiful, artistic touches to the brickwork, in unexpected places. Like, around the front door. Or, just a random design in the middle of an outside wall. I absolutely love that I am selling these homes regularly to the next generation of young home buyers.