The Henry Ford, Greenfield Village &
the Detroit Institute of Arts
It was still dark outside when I woke up from my restful slumber
at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel. There was some commotion going
on outside on the street: thousands of people were milling about
in preparation for the Detroit Free Press Marathon, a big annual
event for runners.
The Detroit Marathon filled the sidewalks with early-morning spectators
I got dressed and hurried outside to catch the start of the race.
Thousands of onlookers watched as the runners lined up behind the
start line, ready to kick off the long distance race. In addition
to the traditional marathon, the schedule also included a half-marathon,
a relay and a 5 km fun run. The most unique feature of the Detroit
Marathon is its international course which takes it through the
Detroit-Windsor Tunnel into Windsor, Canada, and across the Ambassador
Bridge back to Detroit. The tunnel portion of the marathon is the
only official underwater mile in the world as most of the tunnel
is under water.
Ready - Set - Go!
The entire downtown area was packed with people, and I took the
opportunity to go on an early morning photo safari to the waterfront
where I witnessed a breathtaking sunrise above the Windsor skyline.
This brisk walk at daybreak gave me another chance to capture some
of Detroit’s most photogenic spots, bathed in the warm glow
of the rising sun.
What a sunrise...
After another scrumptious waffle breakfast at the Westin Book Cadillac
we were ready for a trip out of town to Dearborn to see “The
Henry Ford”. Also known as the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield
Village, this is the largest indoor-outdoor history museum complex
in the United States. In addition to expansive museum grounds and
thousands of memorabilia, it also features an IMAX theatre.
The Henry Ford - America's largest indoor-outdoor history museum
We started our explorations in the indoor complex which had begun
as Henry Ford’s personal collection of historic objects. The
eastern side of the large historic building features a display on
the role of the automobile in American Life. Next to this area is
a 1941 Allegheny Steam Locomotive. Children in particular like to
climb in and out of this historic machine. The crowning jewel of
the automotive display is the 1961 Lincoln Continental in which
President J.F. Kennedy was assassinated.
President Kennedy's fateful limousine
Another section, entitled “Heroes of the Sky”, documents
the first forty years of aviation with photos, exhibits and actual
airplanes. Other exhibits feature furniture and articles of daily
life as well as an area with displays of late 19th and early 20th
century machinery and power generation equipment. Very popular with
young visitors is an authentic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
"Heroes of the Sky"
In the area entitled “With Liberty and Justice For All”,
America’s struggle for independence as well as civil rights
is documented. A popular display is the rocking chair on which President
Abraham Lincoln was sitting when he was shot. George Washington’s
camp bed is also on display. The highlight of this area is the actual
bus on which Rosa Parks was sitting when she refused to give up
her seat, effectively triggering the Civil Rights Movement. I enjoyed
the chance to stroll through the actual bus, events on which kicked
off one of the United States most important social movements.
Rosa Parks' bus
One of our favourite displays was the Dymaxion House, developed
by inventor Buckminster Fuller who initially conceptualized the
idea for this round, aluminum-clad suspended house all the way back
in 1927. His mass-produced and affordable house featured about 1000
square feet of living space with two bedrooms and two bathrooms
inside a round metal shell. The house included a rain-water catching
system as well as low-energy construction materials and was supposed
to be hurricane-proof. It was conceived to be easily shipped and
assembled on site, and its goal was intended to be affordable for
the masses.
The spherical design of the Dymaxion House
A tour in this house demonstrated to us what a visionary Buckminster
Fuller was. His groundbreaking ideas of affordable and environmentally
sustainable lodging are not even close to being implemented today.
Some people are just way ahead of their time.
Living room of the Dymaxion House
After exploring the indoor portion of the
Henry Ford we headed outside on this gorgeous late October afternoon.
Greenfield Village is the largest outdoor museum in America and
covers a total of 240 acres. Almost 100 historical buildings were
moved here to show how Americans used to live. Houses date all the
way from the 17th century to the present, and streetscapes are livened
up by costumed interpreters who demonstrate activities such as glass-blowing,
pottery and other crafts.
Model Ts entertain the crowds
Greenfield Village is particularly popular with families since it
offers rides in a horse-drawn omnibus as well as in authentic Ford
Model Ts. Authentic vehicles from the 1910s and 1920s were chugging
around all over the place, giving happy visitors a ride. A steam
locomotive also takes visitors around the property, and a carousel
entertains the little ones. The surrounding environment is bucolic
and includes forests, rivers and pastures for sheep and horses.
A great place for children
Around 2 pm we started our drive back into the city since we wanted
to explore another Detroit institution: the Detroit
Institute of Arts. In 2003 the DIA was ranked as the second-largest
municipally owned museum in the United States, and its collections
are valued at more than one billion dollars.
The Detroit Institute of Arts
The DIA underwent a major renovation and expansion in 2007, and
77,000 square feet (over 7000 m2) were added to the existing 677,000
square feet (about 63,000 m2). We went on an organized tour with
museum volunteer Barbara Goldstein who started us off in the extensive
African and Asian collections on the lower level. Level 1 also holds
Egyptian, Islamic, Native American art as well as photography, prints
and drawings.
"The Thinker"
We then moved upstairs to see contemporary African American artists,
German expressionists, and other early 20th century works. The museum’s
holdings include works by Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Vincent
van Gogh, Auguste Rodin, Franz Marc, Oskar Kokoschka, Edvard Munch,
Pablo Picasso and many other prominent artists. Frescos by Diego
Rivera entitled “Detroit Industry” surround the center
of the museum.
Interior view of the DIA
The Detroit Institute
of Arts is also the location of the Detroit Film Theatre and
currently features a special exhibition entitled “Monet to
Dali”, a collection of Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum
of Art. With its 65,000 works it is a huge complex of art that spans
the globe. Visually enriched yet physically famished, we decided
to check out the café on the lower level and enjoyed a delicious
soup and chilli.
The DIA has an extensive modern art collection
Following our visit to the DIA we stayed right in the area: two
blocks north is the Inn
on Ferry Street – a complex of six historic buildings
which includes four large Victorian mansions and two carriage houses
that encompass 40 luxurious guest rooms. This would be my home for
the next two days. Pleasantly exhausted from three days of discoveries
I stayed in my luxurious two-bedroom suite and did some web-based
research via the inn’s complimentary Internet connection.
Tomorrow would be another big day for discoveries in Detroit.
It also has a large collection of African-American art
