Edsel & Eleanor Ford's Legacy of Love Cast in Bronze

The love story endures, even after 100 years, and patrons of the Detroit Symphony who come to enjoy concerts on the lawn at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford Mansion are in for a special treat this year. In honor of their 100th wedding anniversary, the love between Edsel and Eleanor Ford has been forever captured in bronze with the unveiling of a new sculpture at Edsel & Eleanor Ford House ; the unveiling occurred June 13. A tribute to the Fords' legacy, the life-sized sculpture of the pair walking arm-in-arm was placed in the estate's garden where Edsel and Eleanor enjoyed spending time together.

"The love between my grandparents is what forged the Ford family, and I am delighted to see their legacy commemorated in a monument for generations of family and visitors to enjoy," said Edsel B. Ford II, chairman of the Ford House board of trustees. "It's rare that we add anything to the grounds, and this is an extraordinary supplement to the estate."

Designed by Brooklyn, New York-based StudioEIS, the award-winning team of sculptors and visual storytellers that created the life-like sculpture has 40 years of experience creating bronze monuments, including iconic sports and historical figures like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The studio houses its archive of past projects at the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas in Austin.

"To create the Fords, our team had to glean all the historical information we could, including height, weight, style of clothing and year of portrayal," said Ivan Schwartz, StudioEIS founder and director. "The entire process took about 15 months to complete and began with studying family photographs, portraits and clothing to create the most historically accurate design."

Once the clay prototype was created, the StudioEIS team made a silicone rubber mold which was then shipped to the Bollinger Atelier in Phoenix, Arizona. The foundry, using the ancient lost wax process, then cast a hollow wax copy of the original sculpture from the StudioEIS mold. That wax was then melted out of a ceramic shell material and bronze poured into the mold at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit to replace the "lost wax."

Cast in numerous pieces, the bronze sculpture was then reassembled, seams welded and cleaned, and given its surface color made with acid and heat known as "patination."

"The finished piece is really quite stunning. You can see the craftsmanship that went into every step of the process," Schwartz added. "From the original clay models to the molding and foundry processes, it took a team of nearly 20 people to capture Edsel and Eleanor's spirit and disposition in the sculpture - and we think we've achieved just that!"

In total, the statue weighs approximately 500 lbs. and is just less than six feet tall. Taking up approximately four square feet in the estate's gardens, the masterpiece accurately reflects the joy and friendship Edsel and Eleanor shared.

"Edsel and Eleanor shared a love for family and mutual passion for art and quality design," said Kathleen Mullins, president of Ford House. "These bronze statues are not only a beautiful tribute to the Fords' 100th anniversary, but also a reflection of the arts and culture that they so ardently loved."

The bronze statue is one element of the 'A Century of Love' celebration being held at the Ford House from June 25 through Nov. 6 in honor of Edsel and Eleanor's 100th wedding anniversary. In addition to the bronze statue installation, the celebration includes: Down the Aisle: 100 Years of Ford Family Weddings, an exhibit highlighting the evolution of wedding traditions and trends over the last century, as seen through the lens of four generations of Ford family nuptials; and A Legacy of Love: Vow Renewal and Garden Party on June 25, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for couples to recommit themselves to each other with the beautiful backdrop of the Fords' family home. For more information, visit www.fordhouse.org.

Edsel & Eleanor Ford House

Edsel & Eleanor Ford House is located at 1100 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Shores. Since 1978, Ford House has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to share in Eleanor Ford's vision of preserving the estate for future generations to enjoy through interpretive tours, family activities, lectures, exhibits and gardens and grounds events. For more information, visit www.fordhouse.org or call 313.884.4222 and connect with the Ford House on Facebook and Twitter.

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