The War Memorial, also known as the Russell A. Alger Jr. House and as the ''Moorings'' was dedicated to the memory of veterans and soldiers of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It is located at 32 Lake Shore Drive in

Grosse Pointe Farms Grosse Pointe Farms is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,479 at the 2010 census. As part of the Grosse Pointe collection of cities, it is a northeastern city of Metro Detroit and shares a small wester ...

, Michigan.

History

Russell A. Alger Russell Alexander Alger (February 27, 1836 – January 24, 1907) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 20th Governor of Michigan, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of War. He was supposedly a distant relation of author H ...

senior was a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

general and lumberman from Michigan. He served as the

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

, a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Michigan, and

United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Se ...

under

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

. His eldest son, Russell A. Alger Jr., was born in 1873. The Junior Alger was the executor of his father's large estate, one of the founders of the

Packard Motor Car Company Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...

in 1903, and an early investor in the

Wright Company The Wright Company was the commercial aviation business venture of the Wright Brothers, established by them on November 22, 1909, in conjunction with several prominent industrialists from New York and Detroit with the intention of capitalizing o ...

in 1909. In 1896, Alger Jr. married Marion Jarvis. In 1910, the couple commissioned

Charles Adam Platt Charles Adams Platt (October 16, 1861 – September 12, 1933) was a prominent American architect, garden designer, and artist of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture. Early career Pain ...

to design this house. The Algers and their three children moved in during 1910, and Russell Alger lived here until his death in 1930. Marion Alger moved out a few years later, and the house was donated to the

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the list of largest art museums, largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation a ...

in 1936. In 1948 the house was returned to the Alger family. In 1949, the Alger family donated the house to the Grosse Pointe War Memorial Association. The Alger House is the original building, and is now recognized as a

Michigan State Historic Site The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in the ...

and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

.National Register of Historic Places
/ref> In 1962 the first addition, the Fries Auditorium and Crystal Ballroom, was dedicated, and in 1993 the Center for Arts and Communications was added. Today the War Memorial also serves as a community center for the Grosse Pointe Communities and hosts several different kinds of programs and events, including concerts, holiday celebrations, drivers education, obedience school for dogs, and social dances for middle school-age children. The War Memorial also broadcasts WMTV 5, Grosse Pointe's local, twenty-four-hour television station. It is also possible to rent rooms for special events or banquets.

Description

The Russell A. Alger Jr. House is an

Italian Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

style mansion situated on one of the highest locations along the shoreline of

Lake St. Clair Lake St. Clair (french: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day ...

. Major room orientations take advantage of the lake view. The house is symmetric, hipped roof rectangular structure, clad with stucco, having two stories facing the street and three facing the lake. The street facade has a central entrance pavilion decorated with rusticated stone with a small balcony above. The second floor window above the balcony is elaborately detailed. Inside, the entry foyer is dressed in marble, and a monumental stone staircase leads to the second floor. Inside is the reception hall, with a herringbone pattern wood floor, concrete ceiling beams simulating wood and a large stone fireplace. The main floor also contains a library and formal dining room, both with French doors overlooking the lake. The upper level contains a master suite built for the Algers, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a connecting sitting room. There are four more bedrooms: one each for the Alger's three children, and a guest bedroom. The lower level of the house contains a den, a billiard room, and a large plant room. Doors lead out onto the terrace toward the lake. The house and associated landscaping are in original condition. An auditorium, designed to complement the house, was added in 1962. An art wing was added on the street side in 1977 and another wing added in 1993.

References

External links

Grosse Pointe War Memorial
official website
City of Grosse Pointe FarmsDetroit News Entertainment Profile
{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Historic house museums in Michigan Monuments and memorials in Michigan Museums in Wayne County, Michigan World War II memorials in the United States Michigan State Historic Sites in Wayne County, Michigan Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses in Wayne County, Michigan Michigan culture National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Michigan Gilded Age mansions