Bowers Harbor Inn

Last updated
Stickney Summer House–Bowers Harbor Inn
Stickney Summer House Bowers Harbor Inn.jpg
USA Michigan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location13512 Peninsula Dr., Peninsula Township, Michigan
Coordinates 44°53′10″N85°31′43″W / 44.88611°N 85.52861°W / 44.88611; -85.52861 Coordinates: 44°53′10″N85°31′43″W / 44.88611°N 85.52861°W / 44.88611; -85.52861
Area7.6 acres (3.1 ha)
Built1928 (1928)
ArchitectKenneth Betcher Worthen
Architectural style Arts and Crafts, Storybook
NRHP reference No. 11000178 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 8, 2011

The Bowers Harbor Inn is a restaurant located at 13512 Peninsula Drive in Peninsula Township, Michigan. It was constructed in 1928 as a private house, the Stickney Summer House, and renovated into the restaurant in the late 1950s; it now houses the Mission Table and Jolly Pumpkin Restaurants. The site overlooks the waters of Bowers Harbor, an inlet of Grand Traverse Bay. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. [1]

Contents

History

Charles Francis Stickney was born in 1868 in Groveland, Massachusetts, the son of Charles Stickney and Julia G. Noyes. [2] He married Genevive (Jennie) E. Worthen in 1891. By 1900 the couple had moved to Chicago, where Stickney made a fortune in the steel and lumber industries. They soon began travelling to the Grand Traverse area, likely taking advantage of the Pere Marquette Railway summer trains that ran from Chicago to Petoskey, Michigan.

In 1920, the Stickneys purchased this property, then a typical Old Mission Peninsula farm with a rather large orchard. [2] They continued the farming use of the property and canned preserves from the orchard harvest, offering them for sale. In 1928, the Stickneys hired Jennie Stickney's nephew, Kenneth B. Worthen, to design a new summer house for their property. Worthern was at the time a principal of Bentley-Worthen Architects in St. Paul, Minnesota, and had made a name for himself by designing many large Twin City residences, many in a distinctive storybook English Cottage style. Worthern designed this 26-room Arts and Crafts, Storybook style house for the couple. The house was built at a cost of $175,000, and the Stickneys dubbed it the We-Gwa-Se-Min Ranch.

Jennie Stickney died in 1947 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Charles Stickney died two year later in Traverse City. [2] In 1958, Jim and Fern Bryant purchased the Stickneys' property and converted the main house to a restaurant they called the "Bowers Harbor Inn." The restaurant opened in 1959. In 1974, Howard A. Schelde and three business partners purchased the restaurant and renovated it. In 1978, they renovated the previously abandoned east portion of the structure to become a separate casual restaurant, "The Bowery." In 2006, the property was purchased by Jon Carlson and Greg Lobdell, who again renovated the property. [3] They added a microbrewery, turned the Bowery restaurant into The Jolly Pumpkin Restaurant, Microbrewery & Distillery, and turned the Bowers Harbor Inn Restaurant into the Mission Table Restaurant & Tasting Room. The building continues to house the two restaurants, one for fine dining and one casual.

Description

The Stickney Summer House is a large, two story frame Storybook style structure. [2] It consists of the main 1928 house on the west, a "carriage house" on the east (which may have been constructed earlier), and an addition which connects the two separate structures. The main section of the house is approximately 100 feet (30 m) by 25 feet (7.6 m) and faces the lake. The east section, containing the "carriage house" and the connector addition, extends approximately 80 feet (24 m) to the east, giving the entire building a T shape.

The front facade of the house has a central bay with a recessed entrance. [2] The entrance has a heavy wooden door with iron strap hinges, surrounded by glass lights. Above the entrance is a pair of French doors opening onto a small balcony with a wrought iron railing. To the left of the entrance bay is a projecting bay holding a two-story porch with a shallow hip roof. To the right is a three-bay wide section with a central three-sided bay window flanked by a single tall window on each side.

The north side of the house has three small first-floor windows and none on the second floor. [2] This section was originally an open porch, but was enclosed in the 1960s. The south side of the house is dominated by a massive fieldstone and brick end chimney. A pair of French doors flank the chimney on the first floor, and an oriel window protrudes from the chimney's center at the second floor level. A concrete terrace runs across the entire front facade of the building and extends to the south side.

The rear of the house is relatively featureless, with windows only on the second floor. [2] An gable-roofed addition connects the house with a "carriage house" (now the Bowery Restaurant), which is a two-story hip roof structure.

The interior of the structure has an Arts and Crafts look, with dark stained wood floors and wood trim throughout the restaurant. [2] The front door opens onto an entrance hall with a flagstone floor and a curved staircase with a wrought iron railing. Arched doorways open from there onto two dining rooms. The south one has a polished flagstone floor, plaster walls, a wood cross beam ceiling, and a massive stone fireplace with a rustic beam mantel and flagstone hearth. The north dining room has a brick fireplace, wood cross beam ceilings, and a wooden bar. The upstairs contains rooms which were formerly bedrooms.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellwood House</span> Historic house in Illinois, United States

The Ellwood House was built as a private home by barbed wire entrepreneur Isaac Ellwood in 1879. It is located on First Street in DeKalb, Illinois, United States, in DeKalb County. The Victorian style home, designed by George O. Garnsey, underwent remodeling in 1898-1899 and 1911. The house was originally part of 1,000 acres (4 km2) which included a large stable complex known as "Ellwood Green." Isaac Ellwood lived here until 1910 when he passed the estate to his son, Perry Ellwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Tavern Stand</span> United States historic place

The Whitney Tavern Stand served as an inn and local gathering place in Cascade Township, Michigan for fifty years after its construction in the 1852-53 period. In its first few years it served as a stop for stagecoaches on the lines that, connecting Battle Creek, Hastings, and Kalamazoo with Grand Rapids, passed through Whitneyville. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontier House (Lewiston, New York)</span> United States historic place

Frontier House is considered the "crown jewel" of Lewiston's historic district and one of the most historic landmarks in Western New York. In the early 1800s it was known as the finest hotel in America, west of Albany. It has been home to several Niagara County businessmen and honored guests. The building has been on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Niagara County, New York since 1974. It has served as a hotel, private home, a fine dining restaurant, museum, and a fast food establishment (McDonald's). It is found in Western New York, about ten minutes from Niagara Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clover Hill Tavern</span> Historic commercial building in Virginia, United States

The Clover Hill Tavern with its guest house and slave quarters are structures within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. They were registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on October 15, 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Shelp Cobblestone House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The John Shelp Cobblestone House, also known as the Shelp–Beamer House, is located on West Shelby Road in West Shelby, New York, United States, just east of the Niagara–Orleans county line. It is an 1830s cobblestone house in the Greek Revival architectural style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearthstone Castle</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

Hearthstone Castle in Danbury, Connecticut, was built between 1895 and 1899. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It has also been known as Parks' Castle and as The Castle. The property includes four contributing buildings and three other contributing structures. Today, the castle is owned by the City of Danbury and is located in Tarrywile Park. Hearthstone Castle is slated to be renovated into an observation deck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob P. Perry House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Jacob P. Perry House is a historic home on Sickletown Road in Pearl River, New York, United States. It was constructed around the end of the 18th century, one of the last houses in Rockland County to have been built in the Dutch Colonial style more common before the Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Salyer House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Edward Salyer House is located on South Middletown Road in Pearl River, New York, United States. It is a wood frame house built in the 1760s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterfield Cobblestone House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Butterfield Cobblestone House is on Bennett Corners Road in the Town of Clarendon, New York, United States, south of the village of Holley. It is a cobblestone structure from the mid-19th century built in the Greek Revival architectural style by a wealthy local farmer to house his large family. Three generations of his descendants would run the farm over the next 80 years. Later owners would make some renovations to the interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Walworth Arnold House and Carriage House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Benjamin Walworth Arnold House and Carriage House are located on State Street and Washington Avenue in Albany, New York, United States. They are brick structures dating to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1972 they were included as a contributing property to the Washington Park Historic District when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1982 they were listed individually as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Young House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Isaac Young House is an historic wood frame house on Pinesbridge Road in New Castle, New York, United States. It was built about 1872 in the Second Empire style. Its owner, Isaac Young, was a descendant of early settlers in the area. He chose the Second Empire style, more commonly found in cities and villages than on farms, possibly as a way of demonstrating his affluence. The present structure appears to incorporate parts of a vernacular late 18th-century farmhouse, leaving several anomalies in the current house as a result. The house's position atop a low hill would have, in its time, given it a commanding view of the region, including the Hudson River and New York City's skyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport House (Franklin Township, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

The Bauer Manor, also known as the Davenport House or Davenport Hotel, is a hotel located at 1280 U.S. Route 12 near the unincorporated community of Tipton in Franklin Township in northern Lenawee County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan State Historic State on May 18, 1971 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 4, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Park Town Site Addition Brick Row</span> United States historic place

Jackson Park Town Site Addition Brick Row is a group of three historic houses and two frame garages located on the west side of the 300 block of South Third Street in Lander, Wyoming. Two of the homes were built in 1917, and the third in 1919. The properties were added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossroads Tavern (Crossroads, Virginia)</span> Historic commercial building in Virginia, United States

Crossroads Tavern, also known as Crossroads Inn, is a historic inn and tavern located at North Garden, Albemarle County, Virginia. It was built about 1820. In the mid nineteenth century, Clifton G. Sutherland, son of Joseph Sutherland, owned and ran the tavern which was located on the Staunton and James River Turnpike. It served as a tavern and overnight lodging for farmers and travelers using the turnpike. In 1889, Daniel B. Landes bought the land at the public auction of the estate of Clifton Sutherland. The property continued to be conveyed to various owners over the years. The Crossroads Tavern is an early nineteenth century two- to three-story, three bay, double pile brick structure. The building sits on top of a brick and stone foundation, is roofed with tin and has pairs of interior brick chimneys on either gable end. The brick is laid in five course American bond with Flemish variant. Windows on the basement level at the rear of the house are barred; other basement windows are nine-over-six sash. Put-holes are found at the west end of the building, formerly providing sockets for scaffold boards should repairs be necessary. The front facade is dominated by a porch on the second story extending the entire width of the south and east facades. It is supported by five rounded brick columns and the tin roof above is supported by simple square wooden pillars connected by horizontal rails. Doors of the front of the basement level open respectively into kitchen and dining room and into a spirits cellar with its original barrel racks as well as a laundry fireplace. Floors on this level were originally dirt but dining room and kitchen floors have been cemented. The main entrance door on the second level, with its multi-panes lights, opens onto a central stair hall with two main rooms on either side. This stair hall has an ascending stair at its front and both ascending and descending stairs toward its center. Formerly the ascending stairs led to upstairs areas which did not connect. There is no ridge pole in the three attic rooms. The interiors of windows and doors on the main entrance side have extremely long wooden lintels. With few exceptions, the interior woodwork is original, including floors, chair rails, mantels and built in cupboards. Also on the property is a two-story contributing summer kitchen, brick up to the second story and frame above, and with an exterior brick chimney at the rear gable with fireplaces on both floors. It is operated as a bed and breakfast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin H. and Frankie A. Dwight Summer House</span> United States historic place

The Austin H. and Frankie A. Dwight Summer House, also known as the Bay Pointe Restaurant, was a building constructed as a private summer home, located on Gun Lake at 11456 Marsh Road in Shelbyville, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1982 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The building was later used as a restaurant, and was demolished in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Salutation, Sandwich</span>

The Salutation is a grade I listed house in Sandwich, Kent, England. It was designed and built by Edwin Lutyens in a Queen Anne style in 1911–12, as a weekend home and country retreat for members of the Farrer family. It was one of the first 20th-century building to be given a grade I listing, in 1950. Other structures in the grounds received a grade II listing in 1986. It has been described by Nigel Jones as "the perfect house that many in Britain aspire to own", and by Arthur Stanley George Butler as "Sir Edwin's supreme rendering of the full Georgian idiom … This very perfect work establishes itself as a high peak in Sir Edwin's achievement".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleepy Hollow Country Club</span> Historic country club in Briarcliff Manor, New York, USA

Sleepy Hollow Country Club is a historic country club in Scarborough-on-Hudson in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The club was founded in 1911, and its clubhouse was known as Woodlea, a 140-room Vanderbilt mansion owned by Colonel Elliott Fitch Shepard and his wife Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard. It was built in 1892–95 at a cost of $2 million and was designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White; the estate became a contributing property to the Scarborough Historic District in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criterion Hotel, Rockhampton</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Criterion Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 150 Quay Street, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Flint and built from 1889 to 1890. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Governor's Summer Residence</span> Historic house in Michigan, United States

The Michigan Governor's Summer Residence, also known as the Lawrence A. Young Cottage, is a house located at the junction of Fort Hill and Huron roads on Mackinac Island, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clydebank, Millers Point</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Clydebank is a heritage-listed residence at 43 Lower Fort Street, in the inner city Sydney suburb of Millers Point in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1824 to 1825 by Robert Crawford. It is also known as Bligh House, Holbeck and St Elmo. It has also served as an art gallery and as offices in the past. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 4/04/11 Through 4/08/11". National Park Service. April 15, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kristine M. Kidorf (November 2010), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Stickney Summer House/Bowers Harbor Inn (PDF), Michigan Historic Preservation Office
  3. "History". Bowers Harbor Inn Estate. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2014.