Timed Tickets (4:30pm, 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, 7:30pm)

Parking is available in the Cranbrook House parking lot with restroom access at the Cranbrook House Gate House

380 Lone Pine Road

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

Buses return from Smith House every 30 minutes

Gregory Wittkopp, Director, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research

Kevin Adkisson, Curator, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research

Nina Blomfield, 2021-2023 Decorative Arts Trust Marie Zimmermann Collections Fellow, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research

Step back in time to the groovy 1970s for an enchanting evening at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Smith House. Experience the house as the Smiths and Wright intended, alive with the sights, sounds, and scents of a festive evening gathering of friends, new and old. The event promises to be a nostalgic journey through the art and lives of Melvyn and Sara Smith, the dedicated Detroit public school teachers who created this remarkable home.

As the sun begins to set, the house comes alive with an atmosphere inspired by the home’s heyday of entertaining—the vibrant and colorful 1970s. You will be welcomed with the music of the era from the Smiths’ own record collection, setting the mood for an unforgettable night.

The event offers a plethora of activities designed to engage and entertain in a relaxed, unscheduled way—just like the Smiths loved doing year-round. Historic tours take center stage, led by knowledgeable Center staff who bring the Smiths' story to life with a nifty mix of new historical research, heartwarming family anecdotes, and engaging tales of the house's architecture and design.

As you move from room to room, you will find archival materials carefully displayed, highlighting the couple's dedication to education and their passion for teaching. Personal mementos, vintage photographs, and handwritten letters tell the story of the Smiths’ journey and the impact they made on their community.

Pondside in the garden, you will find special activities and experiences. Light refreshments pay homage to the culinary trends of the '70s, featuring classic snacks that were Sara’s specialty. Browse vintage magazines, try your hand at dried flower arranging, or learn about the family’s thwarted plans for a Wright-inspired tea-and-jacuzzi pavilion—and have a chance to design your own garden folly! Lawn games from the period will be on hand to enjoy in the sculpture garden, bringing the laughter and camaraderie the Smiths adored sharing with friends and family back to the house.

The event celebrates the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and honors the lives and hospitality of Melvyn and Sara Smith. Spend as long as you like enjoying a unique “only-at-Cranbrook” evening At Home with the Smiths.

“A person who would choose to live in a Wright house is a nut, but there are good nuts and bad nuts.”

– Mary Affleck Lutomski, Detroit Free Press, March 5, 1978

Mary grew up in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Affleck House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.