Indian Village is an elegant neighborhood with large, architect-designed homes commissioned by wealthy industrialists. You won’t see any Sears’s kit homes here, or any 1 ½ story bungalows. This is where many wealthy executives and professionals chose to live at the turn of the last century.

There is an eclectic mix of home styles, ranging from Colonial Revival, Federal, Georgian, Queen Anne, Shingle, and Arts and Crafts, and doubtless others. Many of the homes don’t fall into any one category, borrowing bits from many architectural styles. Whatever the style, these homes provide a look back at what gracious living meant at the turn of the century.

The 35th annual Indian Village Home Tour took place on Saturday, June 7, 2008. This year, the tour featured eight homes and several gardens. In addition, there are several churches and schools open for tours during the tour. Of particular interest to us, of course, were the three Arts and Crafts homes featured.

The Stanford Tappan Crapo House was built in 1909. Called Arts and Crafts, the exterior of the home would not immediately strike you as such. However, the use of stucco, with a horizontal limestone band separating the lower and upper stories is very much in keeping with the Arts and Crafts tradition, as is the simple, uncomplicated facade.

The William Colburn Standish, Sr. House has more of an Arts and Crafts look. It is faced in a dark brick and features horizontal bands of windows, with substantial brick columns framing the front porch. Limestone details and very simple, straightforward design round out the Arts and Crafts styling. This home was built in 1914.

The third Arts and Crafts home on this year’s tour was the William Ernest Blodgett House, built in 1911. Again we see the use of brick and stucco, traditional horizontal bands of windows, and an elegantly simple design which is the hallmark of the Arts and Crafts philosophy.

Many of these homes have one or more fireplaces featuring Pewabic pottery and extensive unpainted original woodwork. The homeowners often have decorated these homes with Arts and Crafts furniture, textiles, and pottery, which are a feast for the enthusiast’s eye.

During the tour, the Detroit Waldorf School is also open. The school was designed by Detroit’s renowned architect, Albert Kahn, and was built in 1913 in the Arts and Crafts tradition. The exterior features extensive horizontal bands of windows in a stucco façade, and the interior boasts a lovely Pewabic Pottery fountain.

Also a must-see if you take the Indian Village tour is the Pewabic Pottery located just up E. Jefferson from Indian Village. The Pottery traditionally schedules its House & Garden Show and Sale during the tour weekend with many truly beautiful new and unique items for sale.

Indian Village is on the National Register of Historic Places. The district consists of three streets in Detroit -- Burns, Iroquois and Seminole -- bounded by E. Jefferson on the south and Mack on the north. Building on the site began around 1892, and most of the homes were built by 1928. There were a total of 352 homes built in all. Seventeen have since been demolished.

The Indian Village Association is busy preparing the 2009 tour. Check out their website at www.historicindianvillage.org. And check out our photos of the homes in Indian Village, both those featured on the tour and other Arts and Crafts homes in the neighborhood.