Cranbrook House and Gardens is currently maintained by a vital group of volunteers called Cranbrook House and Gardens Auxiliary, which was founded in 1971. Without it, you might not be here to see Cranbrook House and Gardens today.
After the Booths’ deaths in 1948 and 1949, both at the age of 84, the estate went into a period of decline; the house was actually almost bulldozed in the 1960’s. Henry Booth, the youngest son of George and Ellen Booth, wanted to preserve the house and gardens and he helped to found the Auxiliary. The Gatehouse Welcome Center was erected in 1978 in his honor.
Cranbrook is believed to be the largest National Historic Site open to the public that is maintained primarily by volunteers.