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Our History

Christ Church Cranbrook, as well as the Cranbrook educational community, was the brainchild of newspaper magnate George G. Booth and his wife, Ellen. The Booths bought a 175-acre farm in Bloomfield Hills , Michigan in 1904 and established a series of buildings beginning with their residence, Cranbrook House, in 1908, and an elementary school in the early twenties.

In 1923, George Booth saw that a church was much needed in Bloomfield Hills as many residents were traveling to neighboring towns for worship services. He decided to establish an Episcopalian church as part of the Cranbrook community. The designs of architectural firm Goodhue Associates were selected in 1924, and groundbreaking began in 1925.

A reflection of the artistic spirit and inspiration which characterized the lives of George and Ellen Booth, Christ Church Cranbrook is rich in architectural detail. Including work by woodcarver John Kirchmayer and silversmith Arthur Nevill, stained glass designs by G. Owen Bonawit, sculptures of the “Dawn Men” on the exterior buttresses by Lee Lawrie, and the large fresco at the front of the church by Katherine McEwen, the church was developed with meticulous care and aesthetic attention.