The Pool & Lagoon
Restored to their original beauty
The Pool & Lagoon
The outdoor swimming pool at Ford House is one of the most beautifully restored features on the estate, and one of the most recognized in the country.
Jens Jensen created in the late 1920s, the kidney-shaped pool was conceived to feel like a northern Michigan swimming hole set in the woods: native trees and shrubs, a grassy shoreline around the lagoon, and expansive views of Lake St. Clair. Generations of the Ford family swam here every summer, and Eleanor’s grandchildren did too, well into the 1970s.
By 2019, the pool had developed irreparable leaks, and the surrounding landscape had been significantly altered over the decades. Ford House commissioned Detroit-based Albert Kahn Associates to lead a complete restoration. The team worked from original plans, architectural drawings, historical photographs, and family films to return the entire southeast corner of the estate to how Jens Jensen and Albert Kahn originally envisioned it. The restoration took three years and was completed in August 2022.
The project earned the 2023 Cultural Landscape Award from the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, runner-up recognition at the 2023 ACEC of Michigan Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards Gala and was featured in Preservation magazine and Landscape Architecture Magazine. It remains one of the most historically faithful restorations of a Jensen-designed landscape undertaken anywhere.
The pool is open to view but is not available for swimming. The pool and lagoon are accessible with any Ford House admission ticket and are open during estate hours. For the preservation of the historical property and visitor safety, entering the pool or lagoon or climbing on the diving board is not permitted.
By the Numbers
Capacity: 185,000 gallons
Deep end: 9 feet
Recirculation pump: 550 gallons per minute
Sanitizer: Bromine, chosen to preserve the historic bronze features. The original pool used chlorine.
Bronze pan: Creates an infinity pool illusion. Consists of three bronze pieces welded together.
Bronze ladders: Two original ladders, restored as part of the 2022 project.
Garden figures: Three lead figures purchased in August 1930 from Detroit Mantle and Tile Company for $482. Diluted muriated acid was applied to create an aged, patinated surface.
Scum gutters and bronze spray fans: Added in 1932 to help keep the pool debris free.
Electronic chlorinator: First installed in October 1930 at a cost of $1,400.
Design: Recreation of a 1936 A.G. Spalding diving board, the fourth or fifth board the family owned.
Original board: Custom designed by Jens Jensen in 1926. Edsel Ford purchased it in 1928 for $150.
Dimensions: 14 feet long, 19 inches wide, 3 inches thick.
Material: Four pieces of Douglas fir.
Maker: Mikel Tube of Mikel Tube Wooden Diving Boards, Belgium.
Note: The diving board is open to view. Climbing on it is not permitted.
Material: Scioto sandstone from Ohio.
Original vendor: Taylor Stone Company.
Design approval: Edsel Ford and Albert Kahn, August 22, 1928.
Restoration: The paver design was faithfully recreated during the 2022 restoration using the original approved plans and architectural drawings.
Designed by: Jens Jensen and Albert Kahn, 1926.
Concept: Created to feel like the woods of northern Michigan, with native shrubs and trees and vantage points offering views of Lake St. Clair.
Restoration lead: Albert Kahn Associates, Detroit.
Restoration period: 2019 to 2022.
Completed: August 2022.
Scope: One of the most extensive restoration projects undertaken on the 87-acre estate.
Sources used: Original plans, architectural drawings, historical photographs, and family films.
Recognition: 2023 Cultural Landscape Award, Michigan Historic Preservation Network. Runner-up, 2023 ACEC of Michigan Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards Gala. Featured in Preservation magazine and Landscape Architecture Magazine.
Take a tour and see the estate for yourself.
Friends of Ford House
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An annual Friends of Ford House membership is a great way to enjoy all that Ford House has to offer! Enjoy discounted tickets, pre-sale access, exclusive events, discounts on dining and shopping, and more.
