Edsel & Eleanor Ford House Case Study

Challenge

The Ford House located along the shores of Lake St. Clair in Michigan became the residence of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford family in 1929. Edsel Ford was the son of Henry Ford. The house and grounds are open for tours, programs, and events.

“The upgraded irrigation system is a sensor-based system in order to maximize water efficiency. The system will deliver only the amount of water needed to maintain the landscape.”

—Dave Miller, Project Manager, 2015 Green Initiatives, Edsel & Eleanor Ford House

Solution

The Ford House grounds were landscaped by Jens Jensen between 1926 and 1932. Jensen designed the grounds in a naturalistic style with woodlands, meadows, and wetlands. Visitors usually don’t notice an apparent design in the
landscape, but they enjoy the sense of open space and the variations of light and shadows.

In 2015, the Ford House replaced their aging irrigation system with Baseline products. Like the previous system, the new irrigation system pulls water from Lake St. Clair. Using a state-of-the-art sensor and software system, the Baseline system maximizes water efficiency by reducing the amount of electricity and water used when irrigating the grounds