castle Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Hecker Castle on Woodward in Detroit

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Uncategorized .

This beautiful french renaissance castle on Woodward Ave designed by Louis Kamper was the home of railroad and ship-building baron Col. Frank J. Hecker.In 1888, Hecker hired architect Louis Kamper and began construction on the mansion at Woodward Avenue at the corner of Ferry. The Col. Frank J. Hecker House, with 21,000 square feet, is an imposing example of French Châteauesque style based on the Château de Chenonceaux near Tours, France.Hecker used his home to host elaborate parties where he entertained luminaries such as presidents William McKinley and Rutherford B. Hayes.

The exterior of the home has large turrets at the corners, and Flemish dormers in the steep hip roof. Several bays project from the main body of the home, and wrapped around the whole is a balustraded, colonnaded loggia. A carriage house in the rear is clearly visible from Woodward. At one point this structure was converted into a concert hall capable of seating 200.

The interior has 49 rooms, including a large oak-paneled hall designed for large parties, an oval dining room done in mahogany, a lobby done in English oak, and a white and gold music room.The fireplaces were constructed of Egyptian Nubian marble and onyx and Italian Siena marble were used in the vestibules.

Hecker was friends with lumber baron David Whitney, who built another Woodward Avenue mansion.

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Upper Peninsula Brewing Company Building in Marquette

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, upper peninsula .

The Upper Peninsula Brewing Company Building is an office building located at the intersection of Meeske Street and US 41 in Marquette, Michigan. It is also known as the Charles Meeske House. The structure served as the home and office of brewer Charles Meeske, secretary-treasurer and later president of the company. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The building originally had a tunnel leading to the brewery, allowing Meeske to ignore a law prohibiting a person from entering a brewery after sundown.

In the 1890s, Meeske built a bottling plant with a complex of sandstone buildings, constructed to resemble small castles which included warehouses, residences, a tower, and a bottling plant. In 1895, the brewery had a production capacity of between 20,000 and 25,000 barrels per year, sold under the name of Drei Kaiser (Three Kings) beer.With the onset of World War I in 1913, the name was changed to “Castle Brew.”

Local prohibition groups pressured Marquette County to enact dry ordinances in 1916, four years before the beginning of country-wide Prohibition. When these ordinances were passed, the Upper Peninsula Brewing Company ended its beer production and went out of business,and Meeske moved to Duluth, Minnesota.

After the Upper Peninsula Brewing Company folded most of the buildings were eventually abandoned and fell into disrepair. Meeske’s office building was more heavily utilized, serving as a rock shop, a law firm, and an antique shop. In 1974 and 1975 most of the buildings were demolished saving only the office building. In 1982 the structure was purchased by Humboldt Ridge and restored. The building is currently home to the Marquette law firm Pence & Numinen, P.C.

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Detroit’s Castle

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit .

This castle that sits near downtown Detroit was the former Eighth Precinct Police Station building located on Grand River Avenue in the Woodbridge Historic District of Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The Eighth Precinct Police Station is the second-oldest police building in Detroit. It was designed by Louis Kamper and built between 1900 and 1901, for a cost of $46,000. The station was originally built as part of the Second Precinct, but in 1910 was renumbered to become part of the Eighth Precinct. Starting in 1954, the Detroit Police Youth Bureau used the station as office space; the buildings were later used by the Detroit Police Personnel Division. In 2013, the building was converted to lofts, as part of the ongoing revitalization of Woodbridge.

Kamper designed the French Renaissance Châteauesque station in two structures connected by an arcade; the main building was used as office space, while the smaller one functioned initially as a carriage house and later as a garage. The station is constructed of limestone on the first floor and brick on the second, and is topped with a side-gable roof. The façade boasts parapet walls and four corner towers with conical roofs.

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The Castle in Grand Rapids – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

Designed by local architect William G. Robinson, this castle-like edifice was constructed in 1884-86 for Colonel E. Crofton Fox and his brother Charles. Built of granite block imported from Scotland, this house is a fine example of Chateauesque Style architecture. A Heritage Hill landmark, this house features leaded and stained glass windows, and a metal stair dormer superbly crafted to resemble stone. Its interior is adorned with parquet flooring in the entry hall and a carved oak staircase. It was refurbished as a restaurant in 1978.

The Fox Brothers, Ethelbert Crofton (1852-1904) and Charles (1853-1915), local lumber barons, built this structure as their home. These brothers were partners in a Grand Rapids lumbering firm, Osterhout, Fox & Company, and accumulated vast wealth. Appointed to the State Military Board by Governor Cyrus Luce in 1887, E. Crofton, a colonel, was twice elected president of that organization. He was also associated with with banking and was treasurer of the City Board of Trade. Charles was the founder of the Michigan Trust Company, established in 1889.

Currently it is the office of Stonecastle Dentistry

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the James Scott Castle Residence

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Houses .

I kinda have this rule that I wont post any “Ruin Porn” in Detroit but I also have been taking photos of Castles in Michigan, so this one is kind of a dilemma, but since you are looking at this photo, you can figure out that I have decided to post it. I think it’s too important of a house, not to post.

This is the James Scott residence on the comer of Peterboro and Park in the Midtown District. James Scott’s father also named James Scott was a prominent business man in Detroit and when he died in the 1870’s he gave a large fortune to his son. He built this house in 1887 but from what I read Mr Scott was not the most well respected person in Detroit. When he built his house he wanted to purchase the property south of his, when the owner would not sell it to him he built a giant wall to block the sun from reaching his neighbors house, that is supposedly why the south wall has no windows.

when he died in 1910 he left the city $200,000. to build a fountain and stipulated that there needs to be a statue of him. Many of the citizens did not want to build the fountain because of the stipulation and felt he was not worthy of a statue. Some pointed out that he apparently never worked a day in his life and was best known for the time he spent in downtown bars. eventually it was decided to spend his money and expand Belle Isle and build a fountain.

the home eventually was converted into apartments then suffered from a fire in the 70’s and was left abandoned, recently a developer has plans to spend 7 million dollars and converting it into condominiums. you can read about it HERE

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The Manchester Castle House

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, small towns .

Driving thru Manchester I noticed this odd looking house down one of the side streets so of course I had to turn around and check it out. It looks like a castle and is not your typical looking house. I searched google and the only thing I found was a photo of a postcard on Flickr circa 1910 and that it was built by A.J. Wright, other than that I could not find anything else. It is truly an unique looking house and who would not want to live in a castle, especially a little boy or girl.

The Manchester Castle House decorated for Halloween last fall

Michigan’s Curwood Castle

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan Historical Markers .

James Oliver Curwood was born in Owosso on June 12, 1878, and lived there most of his life. Writing and love of nature were his boyhood interests, and by 1908 Curwood was earning his living as a novelist. Most of his stories were adventure tales set in the Canadian north, where the author spent much of his time. During the 1920s his books were among the most popular in North America, and many were made into movies. The castle, built in 1922, was his writing studio, and a number of his later works were composed in the tower, overlooking the Shiawassee River. Curwood became a zealous conservationist, and in 1926 he was appointed to the Michigan Conservation Commission. He died at his nearby home on Williams Street on August 13, 1927.

the castle was given to the City of Owosso after Curwoods death. It has served in various capacities over the years and is now a museum operated by the city, and is open to the public.

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