From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meadow Brook Hall is a Tudor revival style
mansion located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It
was built between 1926 and 1929 by Matilda Dodge Wilson (the widow of
auto pioneer John Francis Dodge) and her second
husband, lumber broker Alfred G. Wilson. In 1957,
the mansion and the surrounding property and buildings were donated
to the State of Michigan in order to found Michigan State
University-Oakland, now known as Oakland University.
History
Meadow Brook Farms originally belonged to Matilda's first
husband, automotive tycoon, John F. Dodge. He purchased the
property along with the large white farmhouse off of Adams Road as
a holiday retreat for his family. John Dodge had three children
with his first wife, Ivy Hawkins, and three with Matilda Rausch
Dodge. He also built a 9 hole golf course, of which some holes
still follow the currentKatke-Cousins 18 hole course, on the
property. The mansion, located on South Adams Road amidst a
1,400-acre (5.7 km2) estate, is now part of Oakland
University. Throughout her lifetime, Matilda actually resided
in the hall for a total of 16 years. Some of the family's time was
spent away from the home on vacations in their summer home in
Scottsdale, Arizona. The hall was also shut down for a brief time
during the worst part of the Depression.
Often referred to as one of America's "castles", the 110-room,
88,000-square-foot (8,200 m2) mansion is currently
ranked fourth on the list of Largest
Historic Homes in the United States.[1] It was
designed by William Kapp of the firm Smith
Hinchman & Grylls. It's designed in a Tudor-revival style
and European-inspired, however, most of the materials that were
used to build the home were American-made. The playful Romanesque architectural sculpture that
adorns the building was created by Corrado Parducci. Much of the original
artwork collected by the Wilson's is still found at Meadow Brook
including paintings by Anthony van Dyck, Rosa Bonheur, Joshua
Reynolds, John
Constable and Thomas Gainsborough and sculpture
by Antoine-Louis Barye, Frederic
Remington, Cyrus Edwin Dallin, and Herbert
Haseltine. The home and the surrounding estate, known as
Meadow Brook Farms, are listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
In 1957, Matilda Dodge Wilson and her husband donated part of
her estate to Michigan State University,
including Meadow Brook Hall, Sunset Terrace, the Wilson's
retirement home, and all its other buildings and collections, along
with $2 million to found Michigan State University-Oakland (now Oakland
University). They lived in the Sunset Terrace home until his
death in 1962. Mrs. Wilson returned to Meadowbrook Hall and lived
there until her death in 1967.
Concours
d'Elegance
The Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance is held
annually during August on the grounds of Meadow Brook Hall since
1979.[2] This
week-long event is one of the largest and most prestigious
collector car shows in the world, making it a premiere social
event. an exhibition of automotive design, craftsmanship, and
history, as well as an elegant marketing tool for automobile
manufacturers to reach the market for beautiful high design
products.[3] Over
the years, this event has served as a significant fundraiser for
the preservation of Meadow Brook Hall.[4]
Filmography
2008:
2009:
Weddings
- Current NBA and former Duke star Shane Battier held his wedding at the
Hall.
Map of
Meadow Brook Hall
See also
References
- Inline
- ^
A&E, with Richard Guy Wilson, Ph.D., (2000). America's Castles:
The Auto Baron Estates, A&E Television Network
- ^
The Meadow Brook Concours
d'Elegance home page, retrieved on August 9, 2008.
- ^
"The History of the Concours
d'Elegance", The Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, undated
page, retrieved on August 9, 2008.
- ^
"About Meadow Brook Hall",
The Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, undated page, retrieved
on August 9, 2008.
- General
- A&E with Richard Guy Wilson, Ph.D.,(2000). America's
Castles: The Auto Baron Estates, A&E Television
Network.
- Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, Shadowing Parducci,
unpublished manuscript
- Wilson, Matilda Rausch Dodge, Debbie Patrick, ed., (1998).
A Place in the Country: Matilda Wilson's Personal Guidebook to
Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester, MI: Oakland University
Press.
- Robertson, Jessica (01-17-2006).'Eminem Remarries Kim' in
Rolling Stone
External
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