'This is a full-circle moment'

Most people across the nation — and likely the world — know that Henry and Clara Ford made their home in Dearborn. It’s also common knowledge that Ford revolutionized the automobile industry. But what people may not know is that the Ford 56-room mansion, Fair Lane: Home of Clara and Henry Ford, is reopening to the public in 2027 after a multi-year closure for restoration work. And Devon O’Reilly, a UM-Dearborn graduate, is leading this new chapter in the home’s history. O’Reilly, who graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor in Business Administration, is the new president and CEO of Fair Lane. 

“This is a full-circle moment for me. I lived in the Ford Homes Historic District, and I could ride my bike here. I came here as a kid and had lunch at The Pool restaurant. As a college student at UM-Dearborn, I’d walk the grounds. Not too long ago, I’d come to events hosted here,” says O’Reilly, noting Fair Lane has hosted special events there while closed. “And now this is where I work.” He started June 1.

Giving a tour of the 32,000-square-foot home, O’Reilly points out the Field Room, decorated in wood and stone, where Henry and Clara would host square dancing. The 1915 historic estate has a Billiards Room, built to entice their son Edsel to spend more of his young adult years there. There’s also the Thomas Edison room, where it’s believed the inventor often stayed. But it’s one of the lesser known rooms that now has an important meaning to O’Reilly: The Sewing Room on the second floor. It’s his office. 

Just steps from the Sewing Room, which was often used by the Ford’s housekeeper Rosa Buhler, there’s a large picture window. Looking out, O’Reilly sees people lounging near the home’s riverfront. “I’m here at this beautiful place that’s so important to our community,” he says. “Sometimes it feels surreal. Dearborn has so much to offer and this place is a highlight.”

O’Reilly, who is former Dearborn Mayor John “Jack” O’Reilly Jr.’s son, is qualified to make a statement like that. The Dearborn resident is very familiar with life in the city going back decades. Shortly after his 2008 UM-Dearborn graduation, he even founded a lifestyle magazine called Reborn. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and my friend and I wanted to show what life was like in Dearborn. We got to interview interesting people, see all the great nightlife and share what Dearborn was like through our eyes,” O’Reilly says. “It was a great city then and it continues to be.”

Before his Fair Lane appointment, O’Reilly served as senior director of community engagement and leadership development at the Detroit Regional Chamber. During his 10 years at the chamber, he led their Leadership Detroit program and NeighborHub, which supports small businesses. He also developed the Mackinac Policy Conference Future Leaders program, where participants meet with senior elected officials and high-profile invited speakers. Prior to joining the chamber, O’Reilly — who was named to Crain’s Detroit Business’ 40 Under 40 list in 2019 — also served as a business service professional for Michigan Works, where he assisted businesses on economic development and hiring needs. “The Detroit Regional Chamber does amazing things and I’d still be there if this opportunity didn’t come up. It was the right fit at the right time,” O’Reilly says. “I’m looking forward to getting out there and generating excitement and welcoming people back to Fair Lane during this next chapter.” 

Fair Lane has been closed to the public for extensive historically accurate renovations since 2010, when ownership changed from UM-Dearborn to the Historic Ford Estates. The Fords owned the home from 1915 until Clara died in 1950, and she deeded the land to her grandchildren. Ford Motor Company used the site from 1951 to 1956 as the company archives until Henry and Clara’s grandson, Henry Ford II — who led Ford Motor Company as president and CEO during that time — donated the land to the University of Michigan in 1956. From that donation, U-M created the UM-Dearborn campus, which opened in 1959.

Walking through the historic home’s rooms, O’Reilly points out the changes the Fair Lane’s nearly 30-member staff have made during the time it has been closed. Using historic photos, receipts and other documentation, each room was meticulously restored to the year 1919 down to the patterns in the room’s rugs and paint colors on the walls. Just like typical homeowners, the Fords made changes to their home as styles changed. The year 1919 was chosen as the restoration guideline because the house was featured in several publications about architecture that year, including Architecture Magazine and Beautiful Homes of Detroit & Vicinity.

As O’Reilly begins to share more about the home, organ music fills the house. The Historic Resources team plays it twice a week to keep the pipes in tune. Even the home’s organ and its 1,241 pipes were replaced during the extensive renovations since neither were in the house when the work began, O’Reilly says. The team found the specs for their original Estey Organ Company organ and had it reproduced. Then, they learned that an old Detroit church with that same organ replaced theirs with a digital one, so the estate purchased their organ’s pipes.

Reflecting on the work the estate’s team has done over the past decade — the restoration and construction projects, as well as key administrative, development, marketing and visitor experience initiatives — O’Reilly thinks about how to take that work and bring it to the community and beyond.

“We’ve been so intentional about everything we’ve done, so it will be more than just opening doors when we reopen in 2027,” says O’Reilly, adding that a specific opening date has not yet been determined. He notes that the restaurant in the Pool Room will not reopen and the home cannot accommodate large events like wedding receptions due to the wear and tear these activities would cause. But he and his team are looking at ways to accommodate events in the restored outer buildings like the 2,600-square-foot garage.

“This is a beautiful home and the work and the restoration work is exceptional. That itself is a draw. But even more than that, opening doors gives us the opportunity to share history in an engaging way,” he says. “We are thinking about the stories we are going to tell. It’s about community building. We are planning programs and thinking about how to best utilize the outdoor space. This place is a gem and something that makes it really special is the care and interest people have for it, myself included. So the community aspect is integral in our plans.” 

O’Reilly says it’s serendipitous to be working just steps away from his alma mater. A life lesson gained while at UM-Dearborn helped guide O’Reilly’s decision to make this next step in his career. He says his professors taught with passion — and that left an impression on him. When recalling his time at UM-Dearborn, O’Reilly specifically recalls the enthusiasm of former College of Business educators like the late marketing Lecturer Chris Samfilippo and Management Communications Visiting Professor Jim Vella.

“I got more than a business education while in college. My main takeaway from my time at UM-Dearborn was going after opportunities that follow your passion. If you do something with heart like my professors did, you’ll do it well,” he says. “I was lucky to find that passion for my work at the chamber and I believe I’ve found it here too.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury. Photos by Scott Soderberg/Michigan Photography