Behind-the-Scenes Tour
AT HomE with the smiths
AN IMMERSIVE EVENING AT THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT-DESIGNED SMITH HOUSE
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Thursday, September 7, 2023
Friday, September 8, 2023
$40 per person
Timed Tickets (4:30pm, 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, 7:30pm)
Parking is available in the Cranbrook House parking lot with restroom access at the Cranbrook House Gate House
380 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
Buses return from Smith House every 30 minutes
Please do not park or attempt to drop guests off at the Smith House.
Feel free to dress in your '70s best (but not required).
Presented by Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Event Hosts
Gregory Wittkopp, Director, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Kevin Adkisson, Curator, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Nina Blomfield, 2021-2023 Decorative Arts Trust Marie Zimmermann Collections Fellow, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Step back in time to the groovy 1970s for an enchanting evening at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Smith House. Experience the house as the Smiths and Wright intended, alive with the sights, sounds, and scents of a festive evening gathering of friends, new and old. The event promises to be a nostalgic journey through the art and lives of Melvyn and Sara Smith, the dedicated Detroit public school teachers who created this remarkable home.
As the sun begins to set, the house comes alive with an atmosphere inspired by the home’s heyday of entertaining—the vibrant and colorful 1970s. You will be welcomed with the music of the era from the Smiths’ own record collection, setting the mood for an unforgettable night.
The event offers a plethora of activities designed to engage and entertain in a relaxed, unscheduled way—just like the Smiths loved doing year-round. Historic tours take center stage, led by knowledgeable Center staff who bring the Smiths' story to life with a nifty mix of new historical research, heartwarming family anecdotes, and engaging tales of the house's architecture and design.
As you move from room to room, you will find archival materials carefully displayed, highlighting the couple's dedication to education and their passion for teaching. Personal mementos, vintage photographs, and handwritten letters tell the story of the Smiths’ journey and the impact they made on their community.
Pondside in the garden, you will find special activities and experiences. Light refreshments pay homage to the culinary trends of the '70s, featuring classic snacks that were Sara’s specialty. Browse vintage magazines, try your hand at dried flower arranging, or learn about the family’s thwarted plans for a Wright-inspired tea-and-jacuzzi pavilion—and have a chance to design your own garden folly! Lawn games from the period will be on hand to enjoy in the sculpture garden, bringing the laughter and camaraderie the Smiths adored sharing with friends and family back to the house.
The event celebrates the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and honors the lives and hospitality of Melvyn and Sara Smith. Spend as long as you like enjoying a unique “only-at-Cranbrook” evening At Home with the Smiths.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EVENING
• Explore the house and grounds at your own pace
• Learn new stories from recent archival research
• Flip through recently acquired family photographs, videos, and ephemera
• Engage all your senses with immersive experiences
• Try hands-on activities
• Dance, snack, and make new friends
“A person who would choose to live in a Wright house is a nut, but there are good nuts and bad nuts.”
– Mary Affleck Lutomski, Detroit Free Press, March 5, 1978
Mary grew up in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Affleck House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
PARKING AND ARRIVAL
Tours begin at the Cranbrook House parking lot, located at 380 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. Guest check-in and restrooms are available at the Cranbrook House Gate House. School buses will transport each tour group to and from Smith House.
Please do not park or attempt to drop guests off at the Smith House.
Check-in will be at the entrance of the Cranbrook House parking lot. You do not need to print your receipt.
EVENT LENGTH
Part of the charm, and uniqueness, of this event is a lack of time constraints! The experience (house tour, archival materials, activities, and nosh) can be completed in 60 to 75 minutes, but feel free to chill in the pad, enjoy the sights and sounds, and return on any bus back to campus.
Buses depart from Smith House every 30 minutes from 5:15pm. The last bus departs at 8:45pm.
RESTROOMS
Please use restroom facilities at the Cranbrook House Gate House before boarding the bus to Smith House. Smith House’s historic restrooms are available for emergency use only.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is permitted for personal use only. No special equipment or tripods may be brought on the tour.
ACCESSIBILITY
Narrow hallways limit accessibility to some areas of Smith House. Guests with accessibility questions or concerns should call the Center at 248-645-3307 to discuss accommodation.
CHILDREN
For the safety and comfort of all visitors, children younger than eight years old, including infants and toddlers, are discouraged on this tour.
COATS AND BAGS
Only small wallets and handheld cameras are permitted on the tours. Please leave all backpacks, purses, camera bags, camera equipment, and other cumbersome items in vehicles.
REFUND POLICY
Tickets are non-refundable. Your ticket may be transferred to another participant for the tour on the same day and time as the original ticket.
SERVICE ANIMAL POLICY
Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research is glad to accommodate visitors accompanied by service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), on tours of Saarinen House, Smith House, and the Cranbrook campus. Under the ADA, a “service animal” is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be related to the person's disability. Regretfully, we cannot accommodate visitors accompanied by emotional support animals or pets.
Visitors who will be accompanied by service animals are welcome to call the Center at 248-645-3307 in advance of their scheduled tour so that we may address any questions or concerns.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RISK
An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is a contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. By visiting a Center-managed site, you voluntarily assume all risks related to COVID-19 exposure.
PHOTO CREDITS
Header image: Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Smith House at Twilight, 2012; Photography by James Haefner, Courtesy of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
Melvyn and Sara Smith Relaxing on the Blue Bench in their Living Room, circa 1965; Melvyn Maxwell and Sara Evelyn Smith Papers (2017-10), Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
Child Viewing Exhibition of Noboru Uenishi, CAA ’68, Hanging Mobiles at the Smith House, June 1971; Melvyn Maxwell and Sara Evelyn Smith Papers (2017-10), Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
Group of Adults and Small Children on Smith House Patio during Noboru Uenishi Exhibition, June 1971; Melvyn Maxwell and Sara Evelyn Smith Papers (2017-10), Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
Melvyn and Sara Smith Lounging in BKF Chairs at their Home, circa 1965; Melvyn Maxwell and Sara Evelyn Smith Papers (2017-10), Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
Sara Smith Dancing with the Salad Tongs, circa 1970-1980; Melvyn Maxwell and Sara Evelyn Smith Papers (2017-10), Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.