North Terrace Railings
These railings ornament a split staircase which connects the lower North Terrace at Cranbrook House to the path along the lakeshore at the foot of the hill. When the Booths first moved into Cranbrook House, no direct route from the hilltop to the lake existed. In 1920, after their sons James and Henry Scripps Booth knocked down an upper wall on on the terrace, which blocked the view of the lake, further improvements to the site were made, including the construction of a straight concrete stairway from hilltop to lakeside. The existing double staircase and railings were put in place in 1924, to accomodate a new fountain and niche set in the hillside to house Mario Korbel's sculpture "Dawn" (CEC 460).
The decorative ironwork at the upper level may have been designed by George Booth, an experienced metalworker who designed at least one other set of railings on the grounds (CEC 1195). Walter Nichols, then the estate's resident blacksmith, may have helped to manufacture them.
Mariam Hale
2023-2025 Collections Fellow
Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
September 2024
Height (upper central section): 35 5/8 in (90.4 cm)
Length (upper side sections (each)): 207 1/2 in (527.1 cm)
Height (upper side sections): 39 in (99.1 cm)
Length (middle landing): 104 in (264.2 cm)
Height (middle landing): 35 1/2 in (90.2 cm)
Length (lower section): 207 in (525.8 cm)
Height (lower section): 41 1/2 in (105.4 cm)
ProvenanceGeorge Gough Booth and Ellen Scripps Booth (1924-1948)
George Gough Booth (1948-1949)
Cranbrook Foundation (1949-1973)
Cranbrook Educational Community (1973-present)
Credit LineCranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Cultural Properties Collection, Founders Collection
Bequest of George Gough Booth and Ellen Scripps Booth through the Cranbrook Foundation
Medium | MaterialsWrought iron, paint
GenreObject TypeHandrails
