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Metro Detroit Oakland County City
Estates, wooded hills and Cranbrook, a cradle of American modern design
01 / Why it matters
Bloomfield Hills is a quiet, leafy estate town on Woodward: winding roads, wooded lots and big houses. It was farmland until the early 1900s, when wealthy Detroiters bought it up. It became a village in 1927, and in 1929 residents voted to become a city so growing Birmingham couldn't swallow them.
The big reason to come out here is Cranbrook. Newspaper baron George Gough Booth and his wife Ellen Scripps Booth bought a farm here in 1904 and, with Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, built a campus of schools, an art academy, museums and gardens. It's one of the cradles of American design and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1989.
There's Frank Lloyd Wright here too: the Affleck House, finished in 1941, is one of his early Usonian homes, set on a wooded slope. Pop culture bonus: in 8 Mile, Eminem roasts his rival for having gone to Cranbrook.
02 / Known for
Cranbrook Educational Community: schools, an art academy, art and science museums, a historic house and gardens on a 319-acre campus.
The Cranbrook Academy of Art (1932), a graduate school for architecture, art and design, became a center of American modern design.
Swedish sculptor Carl Milles' fountains and statues around Cranbrook, including the Orpheus Fountain (1936).
Frank Lloyd Wright's Affleck House (1940–1941), now owned by Lawrence Technological University.
Several big companies are headquartered here, including Penske Automotive Group and Taubman Centers.
03 / What’s on
Oct 11, 2026, 2:00 PMAffleck House · Detroit Historical Society leads a behind-the-scenes tour at the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Affleck House on Sunday, October 11, at 2 p.m. in Bloomfield Hills. This time is sold out; a second 4 p.m. tour has tickets available.
Oct 11, 2026, 4:00 PMAffleck House · Detroit Historical Society leads a behind-the-scenes visit to the Affleck House in Bloomfield Hills on Sunday, October 11, at 4 p.m., inside the first Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in the Detroit area. Tickets are $55 for members and $65 general admission, but it's sold out.
Oct 17, 2026, 6:30 PMCranbrook Art Museum Grounds · Cranbrook Art Museum and Cranbrook Academy of Art host Crandemonium on Saturday, October 17, at 6:30 p.m. at Cranbrook Art Museum Grounds in Bloomfield Hills. Expect an exclusive preview of The World of Anna Sui with Anna Sui in attendance, then the Art After Dark party; tickets available for the full gala or the late-night portion only.
Oct 21, 2026, 1:00 PMCranbrook House & Gardens · Detroit Historical Society leads a behind-the-scenes tour on Wednesday, October 21, at 1 p.m. at Cranbrook House & Gardens in Bloomfield Hills. See Albert Kahn’s 1908 mansion and the historic Japanese Garden; tickets: Members $55, General Admission $65.
Oct 22, 2026, 5:30 PMCranbrook Art Museum · Cranbrook Art Museum hosts an artist-led workshop on Thursday, October 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cranbrook Art Museum Art Lab in Bloomfield Hills. Work with polymer clay—think magnets, charms, or a mini bud vase. $25 per participant, ages 16+, pre-registration required; materials provided.
Oct 24, 2026, 10:30 AMCranbrook Art Museum · Cranbrook Art Museum hosts an artist-led adult artmaking workshop on Saturday, October 24, at 10:30 a.m. at the museum’s Art Lab in Bloomfield Hills. Work with polymer clay, choose your own project, and all materials are provided. $25 per person, pre-registration required, ages 16+.
Oct 24, 2026, 1:30 PMCranbrook Art Museum · Cranbrook Art Museum’s family workshop runs Saturday, October 24, at 1:30 p.m. in the Art Lab in Bloomfield Hills: make bright polymer clay fridge magnets with an artist leading the way. $15 per participant, pre-registration required, materials provided.
Nov 5, 2026, 5:30 PMCranbrook Art Museum · Cranbrook Art Museum hosts a two-hour Block Weaving workshop on Thursday, November 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Cranbrook Art Museum, Art Lab in Bloomfield Hills. A relaxing, color-and-texture-focused weaving on a wooden block frame ready to hang. $25 per participant, ages 16+, preregistration required, materials provided.
Dec 3, 2026, 5:30 PMCranbrook Art Museum · Cranbrook Art Museum hosts an Adult ArtMaking Workshop on Thursday, December 3, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cranbrook Art Museum Art Lab in Bloomfield Hills. Create your own accessories inspired by decades of Anna Sui’s work on view. $25 per participant, pre-registration required; materials provided; ages 16+.
Dec 5, 2026, 10:30 AMCranbrook Art Museum · Cranbrook Art Museum’s artist-led Adult ArtMaking Workshop runs Saturday, December 5, at 10:30 a.m. in the Cranbrook Art Museum Art Lab in Bloomfield Hills. Make your own accessories inspired by decades of Anna Sui’s work on view. $25 per participant, ages 16+, pre-registration required; materials provided.
Dec 5, 2026, 1:30 PMCranbrook Art Museum · Cranbrook Art Museum hosts a family workshop on Saturday, December 5, at 1:30 p.m. in the Art Lab in Bloomfield Hills. Create headpiece and brooch-inspired designs from Anna Sui’s collections on view, led by an artist. Pre-registration required; all materials provided; $15 per participant.
Jan 21, 2027, 5:30 PMCranbrook Art Museum · Cranbrook Art Museum hosts an artist-led adult workshop on repurposed fabric landscapes on Thursday, January 21, at 5:30 p.m. in the Art Lab in Bloomfield Hills. It runs two hours, costs $25, and requires pre-registration.
04 / Places
Cranbrook Institute of Science39221 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
St. Dunstan's Theatre400 Lone Pine Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
The Kingsley Bloomfield Hills - a DoubleTree by Hilton39475 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills, MI 4830405 / What to do
A contemporary art museum in Eliel Saarinen's 1942 building, with works by the Eameses, Bertoia, Warhol and Lichtenstein; Saarinen House tours start here too.
Official site ↗A natural history and science museum covering earth, space and life sciences; a must with kids.
Official site ↗The Booths' 1908 English Arts and Crafts house, designed by Albert Kahn, and 40 acres of gardens with a sunken garden, a Japanese garden, sculptures and a lake.
Official site ↗06 / History
George and Ellen Scripps Booth buy the 174-acre farm that becomes Cranbrook.
Cranbrook House, designed by Albert Kahn, is completed.
Bloomfield Hills becomes a village.
Residents vote to become a city to avoid being absorbed by Birmingham.
The Booths found the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Cranbrook is designated a National Historic Landmark, cited as "one of the most important groups of educational and architectural structures in America."
07 / Born here
08 / People
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Bloomfield Hills city).
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.1 percent.
