Charles Platt is considered to be one of the most underrated architects in American history. He was mainly known for his stunning villas and beautiful gardens. Many are unaware that he designed several works in the Detroit area besides the Alger estate (The Moorings). Most of his residential works were in the Italian Renaissance Style.
His initial projects in Detroit were through his relationship with Charles Lang Freer. He met Freer in Cornish, New Hampshire through famed Tonalist painter Thomas W. Dewing. Hecker already had a good relationship with the “New York gang” of Stanford White. Platt simply added to the mix.
Freer first commissioned Platt in the summer of 1897 to create a plan for the development of farmland. It was to have 300 lots along with a private club and central parkland. It was to be one of the finest residential developments in the country. The project would have also has a casino pavilion, basins, and malls (not shopping malls).
Hecker’s fortune took a blow during 1898 and the plan was put on hold. The project was called LaSalle Gardens South and it was supposedly “south” of Detroit. Had LaSalle gardens South been completed, Detroit would look much different than it does today.
-Freer supplied the grading and planting plan for Colonel Hecker’s mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery. The tomb itself was designed by Stanford White.
-In 1902, Freer commissioned Platt to design a verandah and later, a garden. Albert Kahn oversaw this project. The walled fountain was Freer’s personal gift to the club.
-In 1907 Platt was commissioned to design a home in Indian Village for Allen F. Edwards. It is listed at 776 Seminole Avenue.
-In 1927, Platt was once again hired by Allen Edwards to design a mansion at 99 Lothrop, in Grosse Pointe Farms. The project cost roughly $2 million and Platt brought it Ellen Shipman for the landscaping.
Other Michigan connections include the Freer Gallery in DC, and the McMillan Memorial Fountain/Park in DC. A statue was commissioned for the project by famed sculptor Herbert Adams. Please not that the park was redeveloped when the reservoir was enlarged and the statue is now in storage.
-Platt also designed the Clark Lombard Ring estate in Saginaw. It is now the Saginaw Art Museum.
After you plea to the Judicial Council, pay your fine, you might get your bike back.
|Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2007 - 8:56 pm: || |
Another of my favorite Charles Platt apartment buildings is 120 East End Avenue at East 85th Street. It has only 3 apartments on most floors. Some floors have fewer. The top floor was designed for the building's owner, Vincent Astor. It has 17 rooms, 6.5 baths, and several terraces. One nice feature of this particular apartment is that the master suite has separate his & hers baths and each bath has its own terrace. This apartment came up for sale in 2000. The asking price was $20,000,000. As in my previous post, the photo is from cityrealty.com.