Harvey Joe Ferrero

Harvey Joe Ferrero was born on January 24, 1934 to Frank and Nina Ferrero who met in a small town in Illinois before moving to Detroit. His father was a factory worker who worked in the Plymouth plant on the East side of Detroit, not far from where Harvey was born and raised along with his younger sister, Marian, with whom he has remained very close throughout his life.

As a child, Harvey liked to draw cars and, during the war, drew airplanes and tanks and other military equipment. As he grew older, he was intrigued by football helmets and baseball gloves and would draw them and figure out what they would look like if he made small design modifications. His interest in design, as it related to buildings, was sparked while he was attending Cleveland Intermediate School where he took an architectural drawing class in which he would draw plans and elevations of houses that were published in the weekly newspaper. He then attended Cass Technical High School where he took classes in Building and Drafting which solidified his desire to pursue Architecture. He went on to attend college at Lawrence Institute of Technology and graduated from Lawrence Tech in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering.

When Harvey graduated from college, the compulsory military draft still existed and he was required to register for military service upon completion of college. He was anxious to begin his career in Architecture, but he received his notice to appear for the Army, so he headed to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training and then to Aberdeen, Maryland where he was assigned to be a Construction Draftsman.

While he was in the Army, he wrote to Bruce Goff, whom he had met when Goff had guest lectured at Lawrence Tech during his college years. Goff corresponded with and mentored Harvey while he was in the army and, after the army, Harvey went to Oklahoma where he was an apprentice to Bruce Goff in Goff's office in the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. After two years of working with Goff, Harvey moved back to Detroit where he worked for various architects and pursued his registration.

Once back in Detroit, Harvey was introduced to Carol Arnold by some mutual friends who set them up on a date. He later married Carol to whom he was married for 56 years until Carol's death in 2019. Both Harvey and Carol shared a love of art, music, architecture and books. These shared interests led to a strong and fulfilling marriage which provided a solid foundation for their three children: Paul, Carla and Lara. As a family, they took many long summer driving trips across the United States to visit National Parks, Museums and enjoy the beautiful landscapes. Harvey's favorite part of the country was the west and he had a deep interest in American Indian Art and Architecture and Cowboy Stories of the old west.

Harvey had a long and successful career in Architecture, starting private practice soon after becoming registered. He designed several residences as well as the well-known Max Klein Building in Southfield, MI. He was highly regarded in the field for his unique style which challenged the boundaries of conventional architecture. While he spent much of his career doing rendering work for architectural firms throughout the Detroit Area using his individual rendering style, his real passion was in designing new unconventional structures and sketching. He said that there was rarely a time where he found himself without a pencil in hand or an idea for a new design in his head. He received many honors and awards and his work was featured in publications worldwide. He also taught as an adjunct professor of Architectural Illustration and Design for over 40 years at Lawrence Technological University and taught classes at the University of Detroit and Wayne State University. He enjoyed inspiring the students to think beyond the traditional confines of architecture. Many of his early students became lifelong friends and he proudly supported and watched their careers flourish.

Harvey was a wonderful story teller so it was appropriate that, after he retired, he became a docent at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Affleck House in Bloomfield Hills, MI where he led frequent tours of the residence. This gave him an opportunity to tell personal stories and share his vast wealth of information about the home and its architecture as well as meet many new and interesting people. It brought him much joy during the last chapter of his life.

While Harvey was mostly known for his professional accomplishments, he always said that his greatest pride and joy were his family. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He had a zest for life, bigger than life personality and a contagious laugh. He always put his family first and was the life of the family gatherings. He had deep connections with each of his children and grandchildren through shared interests and even inside jokes. When a friend, colleague or family member were in his presence they were always met with an enthusiastic and warm response.

Harvey is survived by his three children and their spouses Paul (Melissa) Ferrero, Carla (Scott) Leo and Lara (Bret) De Young. He is also survived by his five grandchildren and their spouses: Francesca (Christopher), Katarina (Andrew), Danielle, Jonathan and Lily. Harvey is also survived by his sister Marian Ferrero.

Family will receive friends on Friday, November 21, 3-8PM, at A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Home, (Vasu, Rodgers and Connell Chapel), 32515 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48073.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, November 22, 11AM at the funeral home. Visitation begins at 10AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Maintenance Fund for the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Affleck House online, or by mail, check payable to LTU and mailed to:

Attn: Kevin Finn - Affleck House

LTU

21000 W 10 Mile Rd

Southfield, MI 48075