School teachers Sara Stein Smith and Melvyn Maxwell Smith, undeterred by their modest salaries and guided by a shared love of architecture, met Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin in 1941 and commissioned a custom home. The Smith House in Bloomfield Hills is an excellent example of Wright’s Usonian ideal which aimed to build quality houses for the American middle class. The lovingly restored home, which Wright called “My Little Gem” during a 1951 visit, features an L-shaped floor plan and horizontal, cantilevered roof planes. This tour offers a unique view of this special home, its landscape, and the story of a couple whose vision and determination allowed them to achieve their dream.
Tours of the Smith House, which is owned by a private foundation, are available through the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
Fees
| Public Tour | $35 per person |
| $20 students with ID |
To make a reservation, please call the Center at 248.645.3307.
Additional Information
For more information about check-in, groups, accessibility, and other procedures, please visit the Center’s website.
