Special to the Detroit Free Press At the edge of the lake, a large stone fountain depicts the erotic encounter of Leda and the Swan — who, myth says, was really Zeus in disguise.
Behind the lovers and across the lake, a huge stone church — Kirk in the Hills — holds the base of a huge stone steeple, which envelops the famous Kirk in the Hills carillon.
Its 77 bells are the most of any carillon in the world, and it rings across the lake for special occasions and summer concerts.
In 1993, this church, its carillon and the wide, scenic lake attracted a couple who’d come recently from Europe. It resembled fine European scenes they remembered.
“It reminds you of Lake Como,” said the couple’s daughter, referring to northern Italy’s historic vacation spot. Aged neoclassical villas reach down near the water there, backed by rolling hills thick with trees.
“She loves the church bells,” the daughter said of her mother. “The location really pulls at her heart.”
This couple bought land that faced the Kirk directly and built this striking shoreline home.
Across its wide lake face, the home’s arching windows march in two straight lines, one row on top of the other. Below them a hill landscaped with boulders takes a steep drop to the lake. Above them, massive chimneys are set into a dark green roof made of hand-glazed ceramic tile.
The mansion is imposing, stately and very European.
Most credit goes to her mother, said the couple’s daughter who spoke for her parents. Her dad was fully supportive, she said, but it was her mom who made most choices, found special materials, hunted out architectural antiques and commissioned artists’ work.
“She loves the way in her mind that Europeans really appreciate the style of living — That includes the total ambience,” the daughter said.
“Everything she does has an elegance.” Halls here are wide; rooms are large. Most light fixtures were recovered from vintage banks. Rooms have real plaster walls with deep, real plaster crown molding. Outside and in, an image repeats itself. It’s a partly squared-off arch that’s inset with a circle of wood. These are built from mahogany and used to frame most of the windows and most of the doors as well as interior arches. The shape is elegant, and so is the repetition. Floors through the public rooms are honed limestone or granite. Railings in stairs and balconies are art nouveau or art deco design by Ann Arbor metal artist Scott Lankton. One of the striking rooms is the cherry-paneled library. Here the floor is honed limestone, but every other surface is carved cherry — the coffered ceiling, the walls, the fireplace, the arches, the bookcases. One cherry bookcase conceals a secret door that leads to a hidden back hall. Another special room is the large, lower level games room. Here the owner bought an entire 1930s games room from a mansion, which had paintings set into the walls.
