Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge Land Developers:

The Michelson Land & Home Company in 1922

The Michelson Land & Home Company makes a
specialty of the subdivision of farm property into
well restricted residential subdivisions and to date
has confined its activities almost exclusively to
North Woodward Avenue, having developed and
sold fifteen properties to date. The sixteenth
subdivision of one hundred and twenty lots is now
being placed on the market and is known as
Michelson Woods, situated in the heart of the
thriving village of Ferndale, nine miles from
Detroits city hall. Ferndale is one of Detroits
progressive suburbs and enjoys a most wonderful
residential and business development for the short
period since its incorporation. Being on Woodward
Avenue, Detroits principal thoroughfare to the
north, this extraordinary growth is expected.
Ferndale village now has water, sewers, fire
department, churches, banks, theatres, and all kinds
of business houses. In 1912 it was but a wilderness.
The Michelson Land and Home Company has
become one of Detroits foremost subdivision
houses, having been one of the first to foresee the
wonderful development that was about to take place
in the city, and it has been a big factor in assisting
that development by preparing space for the
necessary expansion.
The Michelson subdivisions being in the
suburbs where water, sewers and other modern
improvements were not available when the
subdivisions were opened for sale (although many
of the properties now have these conveniences), they
were permitted to install in their several subdivisions
only such improvements as the grading of streets,
laying of cement walks and the planting of shade
trees, clearing of land and drain age of surface water.
Some idea of the extent of these improvements
can be realized when we state that the Michelson
Land and Home Company has constructed in its

subdivisions a total of forty miles of cement walks;

twenty-four miles of roadway, miles upon miles of
tiling, and has planted in the neighborhood of four
thousand shade trees.
In addition to the above, the Michelson interests
organized and developed one of the finest and most
modern golf courses in the country, which is at
present in successful operation and known as the
Brookland & Golf and Country Club. The golf course
is just south of Rochester, Michigan, and is
surrounded by valuable acreage owned by the
Michelson Land and Home Company, which is being
held for future development and sale.
The Michelson family, as the Michelson Land and
Home Company is practically an incorporation of
family interests, have not overlooked the summer resort
features in connection with their business activities
as they possess some of the choicest land for this
purpose in this section of the country and are owners
of several thousand acres on Houghton and Higgins
Lakes, Roscommon County, Michigan. During the past
summer a small part of these lands has been subdivided
into summer resort lots known as Houghton Lake Park
subdivision and Houghton Lake Park annex, which
property has found ready sale.
All of these properties are being marketed from their
main office, No. 717 Ford Building, Detroit,
Michigan, while branch offices are located in Ferndale
and Pleasant Ridge villages, both suburbs of Detroit.
Reprinted from City of Detroit, 1701-1922 courtesy of Google
If you have information about our neighborhood developer, please contact
Karen Breen-Bondie at kbreenbo[at]comcast.net.

Detroit Free Press ad

September 27, 1914