visitor is propelled out of the forest and into the open space where the residence is presented fully in view in front of them. The idea of wandering was one which Jensen featured in almost all of his designs. Expansive meadows and gardens make up the larger landscape, with naturalistic massings of flowers surrounding the house. The largest axial meadow, the "Path of the Setting Sun", is aligned so that, on the summer solstice, the setting sun glows through a precise parting of the trees at the meadow's western end. The boathouse, with stonework cliffs designed by Jensen, allowed Ford to travel on the Rouge River in his electric boat. Museum The estate was donated to the University of Michigan in 1957 for a new Dearborn campus. The staff's former houses and a pony barn are used by the University of Michigan–Dearborn. The main house, powerhouse, garage and 72 acres (0.29 km2) of land were operated as a museum, while a restaurant occupied the former indoor swimming pool natatorium until the University closed Fair Lane to the public in 2010. In 2013 the stewardship of the estate was transferred to the same non-profit group that operates the lakeside Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, with financial help from the Ford family. The museum underwent restoration in 2020, which included the cleaning and refinishing of wood surfaces throughout the first and second levels of the main hall. The services were provided by John Canning & Company, an architectural arts restoration contractor out of Cheshire, Connecticut. Names The private rail car of Henry and Clara Ford, named "Fair Lane", was kept on standby at the Ford siding of the Michigan Central Railroad in Dearborn. The Ford Fairlane automobile model, sold between 1955 and 1970 in America, and between 1959 and 2007 in Australia, was named after the Fair Lane estate. Gallery See also Architecture of metropolitan Detroit Boston-Edison Historic District Tourism in metropolitan Detroit List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan References External links Henry Ford Estate Virtual tour of the Henry and Clara Ford 'Fair Lane' estate. Henry Ford Buildings and structures in Dearborn, Michigan Gardens in Michigan Houses in Wayne County, Michigan Historic house museums in Michigan Museums in Wayne County, Michigan Open-air museums in Michigan Architecture museums in the United States Houses completed in 1913 Houses on the National Register