Sculpture Memorializes Love of Couple Who Gave Much

Grosse Pointe Shores, MI — During their lifetime, Edsel and Eleanor Ford used their extraordinary means to give back to their community. Their philanthropy benefited a wide rage of causes, from education and the arts to aiding the underprivileged.

In return, the Ford family is marking the couple’s 100th wedding anniversary with a unique gift: a 500-pound bronze statue that shows the two walking arm-in-arm on the grounds of the sprawling family estate in Grosse Pointe Shores.

Crain’s Detroit Business reported that StudioEIS, a Brooklyn-based sculpture studio, worked on the nearly 6-foot, 500-pound statue. The studio has been responsible for making other historical bronze statues of figures, including George Washington, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson.

"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!" Ivan Schwartz, founder and director of StudioEIS, said in a news release.

Edsel Ford II, chairman of the Ford House board of trustees, came up with the idea to memorialize Edsel and Eleanor's love in the garden. "The love between my grandparents is what forged the Ford family, and I'm delighted to see their legacy commemorated in a monument for generations of family and visitors to enjoy," he said in a statement.

The statue unveiling is part of a larger series celebrating the couple called "A Century of Love," which will run June 25 to Nov. 6.

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