M
aybe it's the canopy bed
topped with an heir-
loom quilt or the irre-
sistible aroma of
muffins and breads fresh from the
oven that makes a bed & break-
fast inn seem so appealing. But
whether it's the antique filled
decor or the down-home hospital-
ity of the resident innkeepers, this
cozy alternative to contemporary
accommodations is on the rise in
Michigan.
The Michigan Lake to Lake Bed
& Breakfast Association lists 230
member inns in its directory, which
represent more than half of the 400
B&Bs operating in Michigan. Jan
Kerr, executive director of the asso-
ciation, says "travelers like the dis-
tinctive architecture and decor of the
inns, and of course, the wonderful
breakfasts. Guests also comment on
how much they appreciate the hos-
pitality of the innkeepers and the in-
sight and information their hosts
provide about the local area."
The inns are as different as the
innkeepers who own and operate
them. Some Michigan bed & break-
fasts are shining examples of Victo-
riana. Styles range from an 1835
Greek Revival to updated summer
cottages. The sampling below high-
lights an inn in each part of the state.
with wicker furniture and flowers.
Guests sip lemonade and nibble
homemade cookies on the porch or
side-yard gazebo while watching
freighters go by.
An enormous stained glass win-
dow in the foyer by the staircase at-
tests to the stature of the three-story
house. The first floor is a public area
with large parlor, adjoining library
and the dining room where a hearty
north country breakfast is served.
The four guest rooms on the second
floor, all with private baths, are filled
with heirlooms and antiques. The
third floor ballroom is used occa-
sionally as an overflow guest room.
This is the fourth summer that
Phyllis and Greg Walker have been
innkeepers. The former Birmingham
residents retired in August 1990 and
Water Street Inn
Starting at the top of Michigan, started looking for a B&B in the Up-
the Upper Peninsula offers The Wa- per Peninsula. When they first found
ter Street Inn in the historic section the defunct inn on Water Street, they
of Sault Ste. Marie, just a block-and- almost ruled it out because of its poor
a-half away from the Soo Lot- ks. 'The condition.•But they did go through
setting is serene," says innkeeper with the purchase on May 31, 1991
and turned the neighborhood eye-
Phyllis Walker.
The 1900s Queen Anne home sore into a gem. Working hard and
overlooking the St. Mary's River is fast, they got the house painted, re-
graced by stained glass windows, Ital- paired and decorated in time for a
ian marble fireplaces, original wood- July 4th opening.
Besides having many local sight-
work and a wrap-around porch filled
44• SUMMER 1994 • STYLE
to some of
an's Bed &
inns
BY MARCIA DANNER
seeing attractions, Sault Ste. Marie
is an ideal base for day trips to Mack-
inac Island and Taquahmenon Falls.
It's also the stepping off point for the
Circle Lake Superior Tour and the
Agawa Canyon Tour train.
its perfect proportions and features
such as gables, overhangs, bays and
a bell-cast roof with square corner
tower. Expert carpenters and mas-
ter craftsmen were responsible for
the home's ornate decor, which in-
cludes lathe-turned beaded lattice-
The Grand Victorian
work on the upper and lower
When one thinks of a charming porches.
bed & breakfast inn, visions of a Vic-
Unfortunately, the bride the
torian mansion adorned with gin- house was built for never came to live
gerbread come to mind. The Grand there. By the time the magnificent
Victorian in Bellaire so closely fits house was completed, the marriage
that image that it has been chosen as plans of Henry Richardi had gone
the featured inn in the Nabisco awry. Broken-hearted, the groom-to-
Brands Bed & Breakfast promotion be sold the house and his business,
this summer.
the Bellaire Woodenware Co., and
In addition to being prominently left the area. Since then the house
displayed on millions of Nabisco has passed through only a handful
Brand product boxes, the inn also is of owners and opened as a B&B in
the cover photograph on the bed & 1989.
breakfast directory offered. The inn's
Jill and George Watson pur-
architectural detail had already chased The Grand Victorian in late
earned it the cover position on the 1992. Their own collection of period
prestigious book, "Buildings of antiques and cherished objects com-
Michigan," by Kathyrn Bishop Eck- plement the original lighting fixtures,
ert and a spot in a Dodge Horizon hand-carved woodwork and etched
magazine ad.
glass windows in the four guest
Built by lumber baron Henry rooms and public areas.
Richardi in 1895, The Grand Victori-
The Watsons welcome guests to
an is considered one of the finest ex- the parlor, sitting room and the wick-
amples of wooden Queen Anne er-filled wrap-around porch with hot
homes in Michigan. It is noted for or iced tea and freshly baked nut
bread. A full elegant breakfast is
served in the formal dining room.
The Grand Victorian is adjacent
to Richardi Park, which has tennis
and swimming. Guests often walk or
ride the inn's bicycle-built-for-two into
the village. Shanty Creek/Schuss
Mountain is nearby for golf.
The Pebble House
The entire Lake Michigan coast-
line is dotted with bed & breakfast
accommodations. Many choices will
be found in resort towns such as
Charlevoix, Leland, Ludington, Pent-
water, Grand Haven, Holland,
Saugatuck and South Haven.
Lakeside, one of the southern-
most harbor towns, has a bed &
breakfast inn that celebrates the ear-
ly 20th century Arts and Crafts move-
ment. The Pebble House, built in
1912, is named for the decorative con-
crete block and beach stones cov-
ering its facade. Set on a hill
overlooking Lake Michigan, it was
the main house at a resort of sum-
mer cottages.
Ed and Jean Lawrence, from
Chicago, bought a portion of the
abandoned resort property in 1983.
They turned the main house into a
bed & breakfast inn and converted
two other buildings, now called the
Coach House and the Blueberry
House, into suites. The three build-
ings are connected by walkways and
pergolas twined with wisteria and
grapevines.
The house was built in the Crafts-
man style, which was part of the Arts
and Crafts Movement in America
from 1900 to 1916. This decorative
style, that was also known as Mission
Oak, called for simple lines and a
handmade look. The public rooms
and several of the seven guest rooms
are furnished with mission oak ta-
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