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Bloomfield Blossoms: p. 026-027

Smith, Kay, 1925-

Bloomfield Township Public Library

Architects -- United States

Bloomfield Township (Mich.)

Vaughan House (Bloomfield Township, Mich.)

GB01a015

part of 'Bloomfield Blossoms' by Kay Smith

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WORLD FAMOUS ARCHITECTS DESIGN BLOOMFIELD'S HOMES Many architects renowned allover the world for their buildings and others nationally known are represented in the Bloomfield area. In other places they have designed airports, government buildings, hospitals, museums, industrial buildings and art centers. In Bloomfield the same master architects have drawn plans for houses, homes for their owners to enjoy and for other residents to see and admire. The trend toward excellence was begun by Albert Kahn, who was the architect for several of the early mansions. The Couzens house, 'Wabeek' pictured on page 13 is an example of his work. In the Twenties and Thirties, Eliel Saarinen conceived and executed his plans for the Cranbrook complex. Many of his buildings are illustrated on page 135. Frank Lloyd Wright was the architect in the Forties for both the Melvin Maxwell Smith house on page 29 and the Gregor Affleck house pictured on pages 140 and 160. Three greatly admired contemporary architects have built here since the Fifties. Minoru Yamasaki has several examples of his work in the area, the latest of which, his own home in the Township, is pictured on page 11. Alden Dow, a Michigan architect with an international reputation, designed the Lynn Townsend house on page 17 and Edward Durrell Stone did the original Matheson house which is on page 141. Michigan architect Wallace Frost has many many houses in our area to his credit. An early Frost house is the Yntema French Provincial house on page 18 and a later Frost, in his contemporary period, is that of Dr. Howard H. McNeil1 on page 19. Eero Saarinen, when he lived in Bloomfield, occupied the historic century-old Vaughan house on Vaughan Road. Beside it he built the only house he designed for the Bloomfield area, a small one for his mother. Both houses are pictured here.