Special section/Superiorland Magazine

2 - Granot Loma4 - Savings Bank Building6 - Stonehouse Windows8 - Dandelion Cottage

10 - Gwinn Clubhouse12 - Ishpeming High School14 - Union Station16 - John Lautner18 - Dompierre House20 - 510 Bridge22 - Piano House24 - First Presbyterian Church26 - Graveraet School28 - Carnegie Library30 - St. Paul Episcopal Church32 - Marquette City Hall

ABOUTSUPERIORLANDMAGAZINE:On behalf of The Mining Journal staff, Iwelcome readers to the 2011 Superior-land Magazine: Architecture by Design.As readers recall, our fall magazine lastyear considered the many creative pur-suits area residents are involved in. Thisyear, we shine the spotlight on history,and specifically, the history that's aroundus every day. Architecture is one goodway to connect the past with the present.Buildings and bridges are, after all, muchmore than simply structures of concreteand wood: they are expressions of whowe were and are. We believe the exam-ples chosen will entertain, educate andamaze readers. So sit back, get comfort-able and enjoy this walk through our his-tory.

Bud Sargent, managing editor

The Mining Journal

Design/Layout by Taylor Jones

ARCHITECTURE BYDESIGN

By JOHN PEPINJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — With its $40 million price tag, spec-

tacular beauty, seclusion and eclectic furnishings,the 70-room Granot Loma manor along Lake Su-perior remains a profound curiosity nearly 85 yearsafter its completion.The structure was built over a period of eight

years, beginning in 1919, as a summer home forthe late Louis Graveraet Kaufman, a New Yorkbanker and capitalist, who was born in Marquetteand picnicked as a boy along the rocky Lake Su-perior shoreline where the stately retreat sits.It took 300 workers and almost two dozen archi-

tects to create Granot Loma — the odd namecomes from combining the first two letters of thenames of each of Kaufman’s first five children.Some of the best descriptions of the place come

from the years immediately after its completion.“The most striking room in Granot Loma is the fa-

mous living room. Stories concerning it have beenshuttling about the peninsula ever since the proj-ect was completed. It is an enormous room 120feet long, 60 feet wide and 36 feet to the top ofthe heavily beamed ceiling,” wrote Manthei Howein a 1928 article in The Mining Journal. “The wallsare of the tawny spruce logs, satiny smooth, glow-ing with color. Practically the whole side wall fac-

ing the lake is composed of huge plate glass win-dows, measuring 12 by 14 feet.“Opposite the windows is the great fireplace.

From one end of the hearth to the other, it meas-ures 30 feet. Its stone face stretches up and upuntil your head rests on your shoulder blades asyou look at the enormous boulder that rests abovethe lintel. The immense stones composing thehearth and fireplace were brought in from thelake.”A letter from Young Kaufman to the Marquette

County Historical Society in 1952 said the mainbuilding was designed by Marshall & Fox ofChicago.

GRANOTLOMAGrand lodge still a Lake Superior shoreline treasure

2 SUPERIORLAND MAGAZINE

“The stone used for the fireplaces, chimneys andfoundation is rock taken from Lake Superior, andthe roof is finished in heavy slate; the logs usedwere selected Idaho Pine from Oregon,” Kaufmanwrote. “The structure is reinforced throughout withsteel I-beams. The other outlying buildings wereconstructed in a similar manner by Mr. Wester, alocal contractor, using Norway pine logs.”There is a chandelier built from a great tree root,

an immense kitchen and a large white pine tablein the dining room, which was constructed there.“The draperies and the whole decorative

scheme for the place have been built upon thecolors of the Chippewa blanket, which containsbrilliant orange, green, yellow, red and the blackand white Greek key design,” Howe wrote. “Thefireplaces are among the most interesting featuresin the camp. There are 62 of them and every sin-gle one different. They all burn, too.”There was an “Indian Room,” with a metal

teepee fireplace and an enormous log in thecenter of the room replicating an Indian totem

pole. Numerous stuffed animals are found here,with tables, chairs, beds, dressing tables, book-cases, ashtrays and desk ornaments all fashionedfrom pine.

“The bath is distinctly modern, sophisticated andlovely, but the Indian sleeping porch beyond andoverlooking the lake, reverts to the prevailing motifof the lodge,” Howe wrote.

Rooms of the Kaufman family were placed on ei-ther side of a long corridor, walled and beamedwith spruce logs.“A walk down the corridor gives one an eerie,

make-believe feeling, such as you had when youread fairy stories as a child, about enchantedforests,” Howe wrote.Located about 16 miles from Marquette off Mar-

quette County Road 550, Granot Loma — withLoma Farms and forest preserves — comprisedan estate of over 12,000 acres.Chicago stockbroker Lucian Thomas Baldwin III

bought Granot Loma and 5,000 acres surroundingit for $4.5 million in 1987. He spent $4 millionrestoring the 26,000 square-foot retreat, whichhad been vacant for four decades.Today, Baldwin is asking $40 million for this classic

edifice described in 1928 newspaper headlinesas “cleverly designed, it is a treasure house of in-teresting features; it is a pretentious engineeringproject and partakes of museum, but, above all, itstands as a real home.”

The most striking room in GranotLoma is the famous living room.Stories concerning it have beenshuttling about the peninsulaever since the project wascompleted.

— Manthei Howe, Writer

ARCHITECTURE BY DESIGN 3

Far left, an aerial photo of Granot Loma. Above left, Granot Loma, summer house of Louis G. Kaufman built in 1921 by Marshall and Fox, architects and engineersof Chicago. (Marquette Regional History Center photo) Above right and bottom, various photos of the interior of the building (Photos provided by Dick Huey)


By JOHN PEPINJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — With its pale clock

tower faces looking out over the city,the Savings Bank Building has stoodprominently in Marquette’s downtownat the corner of Front and Washing-ton streets since 1891.“It (was) the aim of the architects to

produce a building just as completein all respects for office purposes asany first-class office building in thegreat cities,” The Mining Journal wrotein 1891.The Marquette County Savings Bank

had opened a year earlier in an exist-ing building just south of the savingsbank building. The bank catered to

small depositors and borrowers andbecame so popular it needed a newlocation.“The building was touted for its fire-

proof qualities,” wrote John Cebalo in2005. “Besides standing alone, in theinterior this meant iron columns,standing beams, concrete floors, fire-proof tiling, and partitions.”A 1977 tour brochure said the build-

ing was designed by Barber & Barberof Duluth, Minn. and Marquette.Noble and Benson of St. Paul werethe contractors. The developmentrepresented an investment of$174,000, including land, when itwas completed.“The base of the building is made of

Jacobsville sandstone, while theupper floors are made of brick. Theframe is constructed of steel and ce-ramic tile with maple hardwoodfloors. The walls are tile,” the brochurestated. “The style of this building isreminiscent of work being done inChicago at the same time by LouisSullivan. This building can be classi-fied as 19th Century eclecticism withits Gothic clock tower with copperroof and Romanesque carvingsmade of heavy sandstone locatedat the front of the building.”In earlier days, there were wrought

iron balconies on the west and northsides, which were removed. Thebuilding has five main floors, a sub-

basement and a basement.The trapezoidal-shaped structure is

42-feet wide, 100 feet in length and97 feet in height from the top of theclock tower, according to a 1978 ap-plication for inclusion on the NationalRegister of Historic Places.“Due to the site’s elevation, the

building contains seven stories on therear east façade, six stories on thenorth Washington Street façade andfive stories on the main west FrontStreet facade,” the applicationstated. “The building’s largest block ofstone carving occurs over the mainFront Street entrance and bears theinscription ‘Savings Bank.’ The entrydesign, one of the structure’s most

SAVINGS BANK BUILDINGClock tower keeps time over Marquette


distinctive elements, features fourpolished red granite pillars topped bycarved stone capitals. Ornamentalwrought iron grillwork, inserted withinlintel openings above the pillars, fur-ther enhances the entrance.“Four levels of double hung sash

windows topped by a gable domi-nate the central section of the FrontStreet façade. Although this is theprincipal style of fenestration, twomajor exceptions occur. The Wash-ington Street façade possesses acentral band of triplet windows set insegmental arched openings andtopped by a gable,” the applicationread. “On the rear east facade, twobay windows were recently added.”The tour brochure said the clock

tower, with its Howard clock, was builtat a cost of $3,000 and was the firststriking clock tower built on the UpperPeninsula.“It must be wound every eight days,

and a four-story internal shaft on thefront of the building houses the travel-ing counterweights,” the brochureread. “The tower contains three sepa-

rate clock faces, each facing a dif-ferent direction.”On Jan. 13, 1892, the clock was set

in motion and at 11 a.m., beganstriking the hours. Later, in 1974, inter-ested citizens restored the clock,which had been out of order for anumber of years, returning the soundof the chiming bells to the city skies.“The bank remained an active fi-

nancial institution until the early 20thCentury at which time it merged withthe First National Bank and Trust Co.of Marquette,” the applicationstated. “During subsequent years, itserved as office space andchanged hands several times.”In 1976, the building was sold to

three dentists, who remain the currentowners; Peter Kelly, Robert O. BerubeII and James D Jackson Jr.The trio made several improvements

including installing a new automaticelevator, windows, interior lighting,landscaping and a barrier-free en-trance from the parking lot and re-designing the hallways to give thema Victorian era appearance. Alu-

minum entrance doors were re-placed with replicas of the originalbank doors.Today, 120 years after it was built,

the Savings Bank Building has main-tained its outward appearance andstature as one of Marquette’s mostprominent historical structures.

Far left, Peter Kelly looks at the clock in the Savings Bank Building. Aboveleft, a 1978 photo of the clock tower. Above right, a recent image of theexterior of the building. (Journal photos by John Pepin)


By STEVE BROWNLEEJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Any brief lull in their

schedule won’t last long for the Hillfamily and their employees at Stone-house Window & Door in Ishpeming.Growing their business from five

employees around the time itopened in the summer of 2008 to19 now, owners Terry and Joanne Hilland manager and son Billy HIll haveplenty of business concerns keepingthem on their toes.But they also occupy an historic

building in downtown Ishpeming, a

three-story fortress with thick outsidewalls made of granite that straddlesHematite Drive and Front Street.Much of the building hasn’t been

used in years, but has a lot of poten-tial with its 20,000 square feet offloor space available.Joanne Hill said locating there was

no accident when she and Terryopened the business, which offersboth services and materials for thoseremodeling current and buildingnew residences.“We really wanted this building,” she

said. “It’s such a unique building. We

just fell in love with it.”She and several employees, such

as sales manager Trevor Morrison,have found some interesting facts indoing research on the building.“We found something that said they

used enough lumber inside thebuilding to build 21 houses with it,”Morrison said about the time whenthe building was erected in 1893.“We’ve been so busy with the busi-

ness that we haven’t been able toreally explore the potential of thesecond and third floors,” Joanne Hillsaid.

Originally, it was the Hewitt GroceryCompany, serving for more than 50years as a dry goods distributioncenter as it was adjacent to themain rail line that Hill and Morrisonlaid where Hematite Drive is. A spurfrom the line apparently paralleledthe main track and came right upagainst their building for loading andunloading, with metal chutes stillcoming out near the top of thebasement wall on the HematiteDrive side of the building.Hill said former owner Amy Hodgins

told her that the building also had a

STONEHOUSEWINDOWSHistoric Ishpeming building keeps owners busy


pivoting system that allowed horsedrawn trailers to access the base-ment for orders.The grocery company started its

decline in the 1950s and the build-ing has had several owners since. Inaddition, the city of Ishpeming ex-plored having the building razed toallow an extension of Pine Street,which of course never happened.Hill said she was told that the build-

ing originated during a depressedeconomic time when rock quarryminers who were unable to pay theirdebts to the grocer were asked in-stead to contribute granite and helpbuild the building. The native granite rock was quar-

ried north of U.S. 41 near Old FarmRoad west of Ishpeming, not farfrom where the new Bell Hospital islocated. It’s readily apparent fromthe outside the wide variety of sizes,shapes, colors and textures of therock, held together with a brick-col-ored mortar.Just about all the windows on the

lower two floors are topped with a

gently sloping arch made of bricks.There are very few windows on theshorter east and west sides of thebuilding, however.Inside on the building’s main floor,

the 14- to 15-foot high ceilings aresupported with vertical beamsmeasuring 12 inches square with di-agonal joists that are 6 inchessquare.In the ceiling, Morrison pointed out

support joists for the floor above thatare only a foot apart.And the window openings are

slightly wider on the interior for maxi-mum light penetration.

We really wanted thisbuilding. It’s such aunique building. We justfell in love with it.

— JOANNE HILL, Co-owner

Far left, a recent photo of Stonehouse Windows. Above, co-ownerJoanne Hill holds a few items that date back close to a hundred years.Trevor Morrison, sales manager, gives a tour of the building. (Journal pho-tos by Steve Brownlee)

By ADELLE WHITEFOOTJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Children’s book buffs

may think “Dandelion Cottage” onlyrefers to a classic novel, but theDandelion Cottage really exists.

The book, written in 1904 by CarrollRankin, is about four girls who earnthe right to use a charming cottageas a playhouse after picking all thedandelions from the yard.The real Dandelion Cottage was

built around 1880 and was ownedby Peter White, who used it as arental property, until he donated it tothe St. Paul Episcopal Church in1888. The cottage was located at316 High St., adjacent to thechurch, but when White donated it,

his one condition was that it bemoved to make room for the me-morial chapel he was building forhis late son. So the cottage wasmoved a couple of hundred feet to212 E. Arch St. The church first usedthe cottage as the groundskeeper’shouse and later rented it out. In the early 1990s the church

wanted to expand its parking anddecided that the Dandelion Cot-tage had to be moved again or itwould be demolished. St. Paul of-fered the cottage to anyone whowould pay for the moving expensesto relocate it. For awhile there wereno takers on the offer and it wasfeared that the cottage would nolonger exist.

In 1991 Bill Birch and his wife, Sally,bought the cottage from the churchfor $1 and on Oct. 12 it was movedseveral blocks down the street to itspresent location at 440 E. Arch St.The Birches owned a house on EastRidge Street and that property ex-tended all the way to Arch Street,giving them a place to put the cot-tage.The Birches had the cottage reno-

vated on the inside but were care-ful to preserve as much of thehistoric significance as possible byhaving the original wood trim repli-cated, the maple floors refinishedand many other touches added tocomplete the vintage look. A fire-place was added to the front room

to give a cozy feeling and the in-side was painted in pastels to

DANDELIONCOTTAGEBuilding is a page from a storybook


Above, an exterior image of Dandelion Cottage. Far right, exterior images and the mail box of Dandelion Cottage. (Journal photos by Adelle Whitefoot)

match the description in the chil-dren’s book. The Birches spent$60,000 and a year and a half ren-ovating the cottage.In August 1992 the Dandelion Cot-

tage was placed on the state histor-ical register and was officiallydedicated on June 27, 1993, duringan open house celebration. Whilethe Birches owned it, they rented itout by the night as a vacation cot-tage for anywhere from $45 pernight to $75 per night and for dayconferences at $10 per hour.The Dandelion Cottage switched

hands one last time in 2004 whenKathy Pohl and her husband, Bruce,bought it. Kathy Pohl was a NorthernMichigan University student in the1970s when she fell in love with thecottage and its story.When the Pohls bought it they had

it painted the bright yellow it is todayand updated the vintage look to amore casual, comfy feeling. Kathyand her husband now live in Wis-consin and use the small house astheir personal cottage.


By RENEE PRUSIJournal Staff WriterGWINN — It’s not every building that

can claim it was designed by the sonof a United States president.The Gwinn Clubhouse can, however.

The venerable building has proudlystood as a centerpiece in the com-munity known as The Model Town for101 years and is still used by ForsythTownship citizens just about every day.Its architect was Abram Garfield, son

of James Garfield, who was presidentof the United States for only 200 daysin 1881.“He was based in Cleveland, which is

where Cleveland-Cliffs is based, so Iam sure that is the connection,” saidRick Wills of the Forsyth Township Histori-cal Society.Foster Construction built the three-

story structure in less than one year,starting in August 1909 and endingwith the dedication in May 1910.“It was part of the Model Town con-

cept,” Wills said of the clubhouse. “Itwas all part of Mather’s concept ofmaking a town that was attractive,one his workers would like to live in.”Mather is William G. Mather, who was

president of the Cleveland-Cliffs ironmining company for 50 years.“Mather used his own funds for the

clubhouse’s construction. It was a giftfrom him to the community,” Wills said.

“It was given in honor of his mother, Eliz-abeth Lucy Gwinn, for whom the townwas named.”Immediately after the building’s dedi-

cation, it went into use.“There were three floors, a basement,

the main floor and the second floor,and all were utilized,” Wills said.In the basement was a two-lane

bowling alley, a pool — designated“The Plunge” on the blueprints — andchanging rooms.“The showers were marble and were

quite beautiful,” Wills said. “Because somany houses in the community backthen didn’t have indoor plumbing, theminers’ wives and children wouldcome to the clubhouse once a weekto take showers.”The main floor had meeting rooms,

Wills said.“They were segregated back then,”

he said. “Men on one side of the build-ing, women on the other.”A concession area, library, offices and

pool tables all were part of the mainfloor.“There was a large reading room in

the back,” Wills said. “Sometimes they’dbring in silent movies and have the pi-anist there to play along.“There were also magazines and

newspapers at the clubhouse,” hesaid. “People could come in and readthe latest editions right off the train.”

Game boards were built into the ta-bles on the main floor and were usedby the community’s young people formany years.

“On the third floor was a gymnasium,but it was used by gymnasts mainly atfirst,” Wills said. “They didn’t put the bas-kets in right away, but after they did, it

GWINN CLUBHOUSEChanging with the times


was used as the community’s mainbasketball court until the early 1950s.“There wasn’t a lot of room for spec-

tators so I imagine some people hadto stand out in the hallway and be toldwhat happened on the court,” hesaid.The gym also hosted lyceums and

chatauqua gatherings featuringspeakers from as far away asChicago, he said.“There was a kitchen on the third floor

that was used for a lot of mother-daughter dinners,” Wills said. “Espe-cially at Christmas. And there was awing of meeting rooms on the thirdfloor where groups like sewing clubswould gather.”Through the years, the building’s uses

have evolved with the times. For years,it was a place centered on youth.Now it holds the Forsyth Township Sen-ior Citizens Center but still sees a greatdeal of use by diverse groups.“They don’t make new buildings the

way they made old ones like this,” Willssaid. “The elegance of them is some-thing you don’t see any more.”


Far left, the Gwinn Clubhouse sign outside of the front door. Above, the exterior of the clubhouse and a weighingmachine. (Journal photos by Renee Prusi)


By JOHANNA BOYLEJournal Staff WriterISHPEMING — The three-story brick

building that is the Ishpeming HighSchool on Division Street currentlyhouses both the students of the Ish-peming Middle School and the highschool. Originally constructed in theearly 1900s, the building was built toserve a growing school populationthanks to the prosperity of local miningoperations.Ishpeming saw its beginnings, as did

Negaunee, with the discovery of areairon ore. Even before Ishpeming wasincorporated as a village, its popula-tion decided to form a school districtin 1868, according to the IshpemingHigh School Alumni Association.The effort, organized by Julius Ropes,

who started by Ropes Gold Mine northof Ishpeming, saw the first school builtnear the Cleveland Mine location in asingle-story building, which was useduntil 1870, when a new building wasbuilt on Ready Street.To serve the various mining locations

around the city, a second school wasput up at Main and Division streetswith three classrooms. Another was

built for the Nelson Mine location inwhat is now Wabash Heights. Thatbuilding was moved in 1896 to theJunction Location.Although other buildings were built for

schools for younger children, the firsthigh school for the district was built in1886, where the former C.L. PhelpsMiddle School now stands. The build-ing, according to the alumni associa-tion, was a brick building withsandstone trim and a slate roof with alarge iron fence surrounding land-scaped grounds.In 1908, construction was completed

on the new Ishpeming High School.The new building replaced what wasknown as the Division Street School,built in 1874. Alumni association doc-uments describe the Division StreetSchool as being poorly planned andconstructed, with teachers going onstrike in 1879 after refusing to carryloads of coal from the basement intotheir rooms for heat during the winter.That new building only stood until

1930 when it was struck by a fire thatdestroyed most of the structure. Notconsidered a total loss, the originalbuilding’s foundations were reused

ISHPEMING HIGH SCHOOLPreserving an educational landmark

when the building was rebuilt.During the 1930-1931 school year,

alumni association documents statethat classrooms were set up in build-ings around the city of Ishpeming toallow students to continue attendingclasses.Destroying the remains of the former

building and construction of the new

facility cost the district $330,000 in1930 and was completed in oneyear.Designed by N.A. Nelson-Warren S.

Holmes Company, the new buildinghad 40 classrooms, as well as labora-tories.The new building saw a renovation in

1985, with new doors and windows, as

well as heat conservation measures,costing more than a half a million dol-lars. Profits from the district’s CentennialCelebration in 1984 provided enoughfunding to seed a $300,000 renova-tion of the school’s auditorium, namedafter teacher and administrator W.C.Peterson. The auditorium renovationwas almost entirely financed through

the contribution of alumni and friendsof the district, who also provided volun-teer labor for the project.In 1995 and 1997 a millage and

bond issue approval by the commu-nity generated enough money tobring the facility up to current stan-dards and construct a new gymna-sium.


Pictured are images of the exterior of Ishpeming High School. (Journal photos by Johanna Boyle)

By RENEE PRUSIJournal Staff WriterNEGAUNEE — Stand still and close

your eyes: You can almost hear therumble of the train coming in to UnionStation.The former railroad depot is now a

bed/breakfast and party site, but ownerJim Kantola has worked to create anatmopshere that reminds one of thestations of days gone by.Union Station’s restoration has been a

labor of love for Kantola, who grew upin downstate Brighton.“I have all kinds of relatives in the Ke-

weenaw Peninsula and I went to (Michi-gan) Tech,” Kantola said. “I moved tothe Upper Peninsula with my eyes wideopen about winters and stuff. And nowthat I live here, I have said that I won’tmove. It’s a special place.”In 2001, Kantola’s wife, Ann, was trans-

ferring from Minnesota in her professionas a pharamacist in the Target chain.She accepted a job in the MarquetteTarget store and the couple began asearch for a home. They put in bids onhouses, first one in Marquette and an-other in Ishpeming, but each bid fellthrough.

One day while looking around for an-other house, Kantola’s real estateagent suggested they stop at MidtownBakery in Negaunee for a cookie, andKantola struck up a conversation with agentleman there.“He told me the house next door to

him on Clark Street in Negaunee wasfor sale. We looked at it, liked it and putin a bid,” Kantola said. “We got it andthen found out the other two houseswe had already bid on were back onthe market. But things worked out forus.”

UNION STATIONResurrecting the golden age of rail


Kantola was exploring his new com-munity and saw something thatpiqued his interest.“This building was all boarded up and

in disrepair,” he said. “But I knew I hadto have it.”The building was the former Chicago

Northwestern and Duluth Southshorerailroad stationhouse on Gold Street inNegaunee. Kantola bought it and gotto work.The depot originally opened for busi-

ness in 1910 and served the Ne-gaunee community for more than halfa century. But after it closed, the depotwas bought and sold a number oftimes, with many of the owners usingthe structure as a storage building.“When we bought it, my wife and I

were thinking of it as our future home.But then a third child became part ofthe family.“That changed our plans,” he said.

“When we travel, we don’t always wantto stay in a hotel, especially if we’restaying for multiple nights. So wethought this place would make a greatplace for families to stay because

there’s room for all.”The Union Station has become just

that: A place where groups can stayfor days or even weeks.And it’s also become a site for events.“It works out perfectly,” Kantola said.

“In May and June, when we don’t havemany guests, we have a lot of peoplerent for graduation parties. And in lateNovember and in December, peoplerent it for holiday parties.”Getting the building back in shape

was a busy process, as the old depothad fallen into disrepair.“The windows were busted out. The

chimney was being held on by its capand the roof had holes in it,” Kantolasaid.He did research on the depot, finding

it was built in six months and openedfor business on Dec. 25, 1910.“The original brick work is phenome-

nal,” he said. “This is an amazing build-ing. We wanted to make it look like itdid, but make it current.“For instance, the roof we put on

was made to rust. I tell people it’sfour or five years old and they don’t

believe me,” Kantola said.The original doors were left in place,

when possible, and the light fixtureswere found from other older build-ings, to look as though they mighthave been from 1910. There are sev-eral Murphy beds, which affordsleeping space but which don’t alterthe building’s ambience.In the time since Union Station re-

opened, Kantola has had a fewolder visitors stop by.“They tell me stories of when the

young men went to war, they leftfrom here,” he said. “I have hadolder gentlemen tell me when theyused to haul baggage here as kidsor when they used to pick up thenewspapers they delivered here.”One question that hasn’t been

completely answered, however, isexactly when the depot stoppedbeing used.“I am very curious and would like to

know that for sure,” he said.For more information on the re-

stored depot, visit www.unionstation-depot.com.


Far left, the exterior of Union Stationand the railroad lights. Above, ta-bles and chairs inside of the sta-tion. (Journal photos by Renee Prusi)

By JOHANNA BOYLEJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Perched high over Hollywood, the

Chemosphere is a 2,200-square-foot octagonalhome anchored to a steep hillside by a central col-umn. It’s an image of the glamour and fortune ofCalifornia that seems a world away from an UpperPeninsula camp.But the Chemosphere is just one of the many de-

signs produced by architect John Lautner, a nativeof Marquette and a former student of Frank LloydWright. Despite his renown for the more than 70buildings and private residences he designed —many in California — Lautner’s work continued to

find inspiration from his early years in the U.P.“It’s great for people here to know how inspiring our

landscape is and how inspiring it is to grow up here,”said Jo DeYoung, curator of the Marquette RegionalHistory Center. “People should be proud of that.”In celebration of Lautner’s 100th birthday, the

MRHC and The DeVos Art Museum at NMU are hold-ing special exhibits about Lautner’s life and workthroughout the fall.Called one of the most visionary architects of the

20th century, Lautner was born in Marquette in 1911to parents John E. and Vida Lautner, a professor atthe university that would become Northern Michi-gan University and an artist.

“They put a lot of thought into how they were rais-ing their children,” DeYoung saidLautner grew up in the home at the corner of Kaye

and Presque Isle in Marquette, in a home designedand built by his parents. Constructed in the style ofEnglish cottages, the home was built to providecomfort and pleasure for the family, a philosophyLautner would take on later in his career.Then in the 1920s, when Lautner was 12 years old,

his family began construction on a camp at MiddleIsland Point, which became known as Midgaardafter the name for the world humans lived in inNorse mythology. Inspired by early Norse cabins ofthe 13th and 14th centuries, Midgaard features bal-


JOHN LAUTNEROne of the most famous architectsof the last century drew his inspiration from his U.P. roots

conies and corner fire places in a de-sign that fits into the Lake SuperiorLandscape.“John helped build that,” DeYoung

said of the building project. “He hassaid that was an important project forhim.”After attending school in Marquette,

Lautner went on to graduate from theNorthern State Teachers College(NMU) with a degree in English. In-spired by the building of Midgaardand his reading of Frank Lloyd Wright’sautobiography, Lautner applied toWright’s apprenticeship program inWisconsin, called Taliesin. “That’s how Taliesin was. You learn by

doing things,” DeYoung said.An apprentice under Wright for six

years, Lautner learned about architec-ture that was based on function in-stead of on style.“Real architecture is improving

human life,” Lautner said in an inter-view later in his life with The MiningJournal. “It involves real thinking, realworking, real ideas, not fashion orstyles.”In 1937, Lautner was sent by Wright

to Los Angeles to supervise the con-

struction of two of Wright’s projects. By1939, Lautner had started his ownpractice, designing everything fromprivate residences to restaurantchains.Throughout his career, Lautner re-

mained focused on the space of thebuilding and how that space relatedto the human beings that used it, as

well as how that space related to thenatural environment around it.Although his work has been featured

in documentaries and exhibits, Laut-ner remained devoted to Wright, whoin turn called his student the “world’ssecond greatest architect.”In 1970, Lautner was made a Fellow

of the American Institute of Architectsfor Excellence in Design. In 1993, hereceived the Gold Medal from theLos Angeles AIA chapter. Even at the

time of his death at age 83, Lautnerwas still at work on several projects.“He’s considered to be one of the

most successful associates to comeout of the (Taliesin) fellowship,” saidMelissa Matuscak, director and cura-tor of The DeVos Art Museum.Although many architects were at

work in the mid-20th century, Matus-cak said Lautner’s work was different.“Lautner was much more organic in

his style,” she said. “Every project hedid was specific to the client he wasworking with and the environment hewas working in... That I think was in-stilled in him during his childhood inMarquette.”His work can be traced either aca-

demically through the study of archi-tecture or through pop culture,Matuscak said, as several of Laut-ner’s buildings have been featured infilms from the James Bond series to“Die hard.” In those films, Matuscaksaid, the homes act not just as setsfor the actors to move around on,but almost as characters them-selves.“I think it’s important to celebrate

people from your hometown, espe-

cially when your hometown has hadsuch a profound impact on them,”Matuscak said. The MRHC exhibit explores Lautner’s

life in Marquette, with items from hischildhood and a number of photo-graphs detailing his life, and twomodels of homes that were plannedfor the Marquette area but were notcompleted. The exhibit runs throughJan. 7, with a screening of “InfiniteSpace: The Architecture of JohnLautner,” a documentary by archi-tectural filmmaker Murray Grigor, setfor 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.The DeVos portion of the exhibit fo-

cuses on Lautner’s professional ca-reer, with photographs and sketchesof a eight of his building projectsshowing a range of styles and loca-tions. In addition, visitors to the exhibitwill also get the chance to see sev-eral models of Lautner’s buildings, in-cluding one that is 16 feet long. Inaddition the exhibit includes filmfootage and audio stations, allowingvisitors to hear Lautner speak abouthis work. Special exhibits include filmscreenings and lectures. The DeVosexhibit runs until Nov. 13.


Real architecture isimproving human life.

—John Lautner,Architect

Far left, Lautner is shown sitting outside his childhood home at the corner of Kaye and Presque Isle. (Journal photo by Dan Weingarten) Above left, a display ofitems from Lautner. (Journal file photo) Various photos of Lautner at the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain and at one of the homes he built. (Karol Lautner Peterson photo)


By JOHANNA BOYLEJournal Staff WriterMICHIGAMME — The community of

Michigamme, like many towns inMarquette County, began with amine, and some of the oldest build-ings in the small town go back tothat mining history.The Dompierre House is one of three

log buildings that still stand inMichigamme, moved to stand besidethe Michigamme Historical Museum in2001. It serves to help educate mu-seum visitors as to how early residentsof Michigamme lived and worked.

“It’s one of the oldest houses in thetown,” said Don Moore, president ofthe Michigamme Historical Society. Originally built by the Michigamme

Mining Company in the late 1870s,the house was originally constructedon the eastern end of Michigamme’sMain Street. Built from logs, the housewas originally constructed with a rip-saw, axe and chisel, using half-dove-tail corner notches, with chinking inbetween the logs.Two front entrances have led mu-

seum organizers to believe the homewas originally constructed as a duplex

DOMPIERRE HOUSE

Mining heritage preserved

for miners to live in.In 1896, the house and the property

were sold to the Cleveland Cliffs MiningCompany and appears to have beenrented out until it was purchased in1916 by Eusebe Dompierre for $200for his daughter Leada and her hus-band, Tom McGinnis, to live in.Dompierre reportedly purchased the

house from a man named NapoleonBeauvais, who lived in Michigammewith his daughter, according to the1900 census. A widower, Beauvais hadan adult son who reportedly camehome one day and shot Beauvais’second wife before committing sui-cide, said Renee Saari, the daughter ofDella McGinnis Dishnow, who was thedaughter of Leada and Tom McGinnis.“I was 5 and my sister was 8 and she

(Leada) was afraid to sleep there atnight,” Saari said, leading into a coupleof ghost stories associated with thehouse, which is now maintained by themuseum.According to the museum, Eusebe

and his wife, Henrietta Dompierre,came to Michigamme from Quebec,Canada in the late 1880s. Della Dish-now lived in the house until 1938, when

she married and moved next door withher mother, Leada, moving in with thefamily after the death of Tom McGinnis. Years after Leada’s death, the histor-

ical society undertook the task ofmoving the cabin from its original lo-cation to stand beside the museum.In a years-long project, the group

worked to place the entire home ona flatbed trailer and have it wheeledto the museum. As the house was ina bad state of repair, the museum,lead by David Lappi, worked to fullyrestore the structure, adding replace-ment flooring and logs as needed.As part of the restoration process,

several new doorways and other indi-cators were discovered, allowingmusuem officials to determine it wasoriginally a duplex.“Her mother told us what went in the

house and where to place it,” Mooresaid of Della Dishnow.The home is now decorated and fur-

nished to represent the lives of residentsof Michigamme in the early 1900s to1940s, complete with a replica out-house out back. Finished in 2004, thehouse is part of the museum, whichcan be reached at 906-323-9016.


Far left, the outside of Dompierre House. Above, the interior of the kitchen. (Journal photos by Johanna Boyle)

By DANIELLE PEMBLEJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — The original County

Road 510 steel truss bridge over theDead River started its existence in aplace you probably wouldn’t guess. Instead of building a new bridge

from scratch, back in the fall of1919, the state of Michigan pur-chased the 265-foot bridge fromPennsylvania. “The bridge was originally over the

Allegheny River in Pittsburgh,” said

Jim Iwanicki, Marquette County RoadCommission engineer manager. The curved cord Pennsylvania Truss

bridge was being removed from itsoriginal site because it was one oftwo toll bridges crossing the Al-legheny River within 500 feet of eachother and was considered unneces-sary, according to Marquette CountyRoad Commission records. The bridge was then shipped to

Marquette County to span the DeadRiver and was erected on site in

1921 under the supervision of Mar-quette County Road Commission Su-perintendent Kenneth I. Sawyer,records said. “It was a steel bridge, so it could

be taken apart easily,” said Iwanicki.The total cost of the project was

$80,710. The bridge served thecounty of Marquette well for manyyears, being used as a connectorallowing logging activities, residen-tial development, and other eco-nomic activity including tourism

north of the Dead River, accordingto records. Weight limits were even-tually placed on the bridge, andsafety issues were raised over it onlyhaving one lane. It was decidedthat it needed to be replaced.“It is recognized by the state of

Michigan as a historical bridge be-cause of its uniqueness,” said Iwan-icki, “We decided to build one morefunctional and leave the old one.”The bridge remains as a pedestrian

walkway and can be seen east of


510 BRIDGELandmarks, old and new

the new structure, said Iwanicki.After being approved for funding

from the state, the planning processstarted for the new bridge. Therewere many difficulties, includingdealing with the sandy cliffs andflooding, said Iwanicki, leading tothe project being built in twophases.The first phase was mainly earth

moving and building of the bridgeapproaches. The second phase wasthe actual building of the bridge.The new bridge is made of steel

and concrete, and towers 100 feetover the Dead River, while the oldone is only 10 feet above the water.“It’s a modern design,” said Iwan-

icki. “It’s functional, not necessarilyarchitectural.”The building of the new County

Road 510 bridge was a four yearprocess, eventually costing$1,738,276.78, which was fundedthrough the State of Michigan LocalBridge Fund and the MarquetteCounty Road Commission, saidIwanicki. The bridge opened for traffic on

Sept 17, 2010. According to theMarquette County Road Commis-sion Traffic Counter, the new bridgegets an average of 1,765 hits perday.


It’s a modern design. It’sfunctional, not necessar-ily architectural.

—Jim Iwanicki,Road commission engineer

Far left, a photo of the original Marquette County Road 510 truss bridge with the new 510 bridge in the back-ground. Above, images of the original and new 510 bridge. (Journal photos by Danielle Pemble)


By DANIELLE PEMBLEJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — A unique home on

Lakeshore Boulevard in Marquette wasdubbed “the piano house” more than20 years ago, and continues to go bythe same name today. While there isspeculation about how the name ac-tually originated, the current owner hassome idea. “They say the main section of the

house, from the air, looks like a grandpiano,” said Billy Alberts, a pianist him-self.The curved shape reminiscent of a

piano was actually fashioned after apiece of driftwood washed up on thebeach, said architect Barry Polzin, whodesigned the home.At the time it was built in 1988-89,

Polzin owned the Gimme Shelter con-tracting company, and designed thehouse for a pair of local artists, Ed andJulie Risak. “The home is certainly one of a kind,”

said Polzin. “Every room in the househas a view of the lake.” The stylish yet functional home has

four decks overlooking the three-lotbackyard, as well as a refreshing viewof McCarty’s Cove. “It has a tunnel, tower and a bridge,”

said Polzin.The highest point of the structure fea-

tures a tower with an observatory at thetop, like a crow’s nest on a pirate shipor a playful tree fort. Directly beneath itis a bridge that connects the two partsof the house.There are a total of nine different lev-

els in the home, with various step-upsand downs, making each room almostfeel like its own wing. Deliberate “nooksand crannies” protrude from walls and

corners serving as shelves to housekeepsakes and collectibles.“There are very few rectangles in the

design; the living area is like a big

PIANO HOUSEHome as a work of art


sweeping circle,” said Alberts.A quaint, curving staircase takes you

upstairs where you can find two bed-rooms complete with built-in lofts, asitting room, bathroom and masterbedroom and bath. The “piano” section of the house is

where the master bedroom is nes-tled, with convex curved drywall andfive windows overlooking the lake,complete with a skylight to let the sun

shine in. “It’s bright and open,” said Alberts.

“The design was really thought outwell to capture the lot and the lake.”The basement level houses many

“multipurpose rooms,” inluding an of-fice space, laundry room and work-shops.A tunnel hallway connects the main

part of the house to another wing,which was originally the space dedi-

cated solely to the artist studios. EdRisak, a ceramicist, used the mainspace as his pottery studio. It nowhas more of a family room feel, orlike that of a mother-in-law suite. Ashed in the backyard that used to bea kiln where Risak fired his pottery isnow being utilized to house lawntools. Above the main studio space is a

beachy bungalow bedroom — it

used to be a drawing studio for JulieRisak. Overall, the home blends art and

construction, a quirky yet practicalspace that is as welcoming as anybeach house.This uncommon treasure of a home

will likely continue to be rememberedas “the piano house,” a nicknamethat the public gave it decades agowhich invariably stuck.

Far left, an exterior photo of the piano house. Above various scenes of theinterior of the home. (Journal photos by Danielle Pemble)


By KYLE WHITNEYJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Marion Sonderegger

clearly recalls the origins of the FirstPresbyterian Church of Marquette.Though the towering structure is nowa Marquette landmark, 76 years agoit was little more than a pile of dirtand a playground for little girls.“I was just in junior high school.

About 12 or 13 — right aroundthere,” said Sonderegger, a Mar-quette resident who will turn 90 inOctober. “It was not walled off theway construction is today. When theworkmen had all gone home wecould get in there and play in thepiles of dirt. I do remember whenthe beams were put up there. I re-member climbing up on a beamand sitting there, way above theground.”Sonderegger joined the church

shortly after it was completed in

1935 and is now the longest-servingmember of the congregation.According to church documents,

the First Presbyterian Church Societyof Marquette began in 1857 andservices were held in members’homes. In the mid-1800s, the currentchurch property on the corner ofFront and Blaker was purchased for$1,000 and a church was erectedthere for between $20,000 and$25,000. That building stood formore than 50 years before burningto the ground in August 1931.Prior to the fire, discussions had al-

ready started about building a newchurch and locals George andMartha Wallace had bequested$150,000 for its construction. Thecurrent church was dedicated inlate May 1935.The church was designed by the

Cleveland-based firm of Rodrickand Nicklas, which specialized in

church architecture, and it was builtin the English Gothic style, typicallyhighlighted by pointed arches,vaulted roofs, buttresses and spires.The general contractors were FluorBrothers & Smith from Oshkosh, Wis.The exterior was crafted from Wis-

consin Lannon Stone, while many of

the floors were coverd in Nomadjiihandmade tile. The total cost of thecompleted structure was $166,995,of which $12,250 came from fire in-surance funds.“It’s just a landmark to me,” said

Sonderegger, who often helps out inthe church. “I think it occupies a slot

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHA Gothic-style landmark in Marquette


in my life that I would miss if I didn’tbelong to our church. It occupies abig part of my life.”She has attended countless events

at the church and thinks she knowsalmost everyone in the congrega-tion. She remembers serving coffeeand tea to New Year’s Eve revelersyears ago and still recalls walkingdown the hill on Front Street in 1957during the society’s centennial cele-

bration.Of the memories she has made in

the church, and for the ones she stillhopes to make, Sonderegger isproud.“I think it’s one of the standout build-

ings in our town. I think the library isprobably the most representative,but I think the Presbyterian churchstands along beside it as somethingwe’ll always be proud of.”

Pictured are recent exterior and interior photos of First Presbyterian Church.(Journal photos by Danielle Pemble)


By CHRISTOPHER DIEMJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — The cornerstone for Graveraet High

School in Marquette was laid in 1927; however plansfor a new high school building in Marquette stretchedas far back as 1916.By 1915 Marquette’s Howard High School, built in

1902 for a capacity of 200 students, had an enroll-ment of 296. The overcrowding, and the lack of agymnasium and assembly hall, convinced theboard of education to pursue construction of a newhigh school. The school board presented a bondissue of $140,000 to the community, which passed346 to 230.Harriet Adams donated two houses and two lots at

the corner of Front Street and Hewitt Avenue, andthat became the preferred site for a new school,though adjoining land would have to be acquiredbefore construction began.

John Chubb was chosen as the architect, and hedrew up designs that are very different from theGraveraet of today. His designs called for a buildingfour stories high with a gymnasium in the basement.Its exterior would look much like the U.S. Federal Build-ing in downtown Marquette.However, the board and Chubb discovered the

cost of building supplies had increased greatly andthe $140,000 would not be sufficient. In addition, theU.S. entered World War I in 1917 and construction ofthe school was put on hold. During the war, theschool board announced the new high schoolwould be called Graveraet High School, in honor ofJuliet Adelaide Graveraet, the mother of Louis Grav-eraet Kaufman, who donated $26,000 to cover thecosts of land and clearing for the new school.A new bond was passed in 1925 for $475,000 and

new designs for the school were drawn up.The Graveraet building features the Sidney Adams

Gymnasium, named after Harriet Adams’s husband,and the Kaufman Auditorium.Willard M. Whitman became the superintendent of

Marquette schools in 1920, during the planningphases of the school. Whitman studied dramatics atHarvard and he wanted the lighting and acoustics ofthe auditorium to be state-of-the-art. A domed ceil-ing was installed in the auditorium to reflect sounddown toward the audience. Heavy red velvet cur-tains and window draperies were hung to dampenany reverberations. Kaufman hired a Chicago artistnamed Lazzarini to paint a mural in the dome.“He knew exactly what he wanted,” said Sara Cam-

bensy, director of the auditorium. “Other things weremaybe compromised in the school, looking at thetotal budget for the bond that was passed, but cer-tainly nothing in the auditorium. It was state-of-the-artfrom the curtains to the film projector to the colors hepicked out, which were the Harvard colors — crimson

GRAVERAET SCHOOL

New courtyard shines


and white. And of course the dome.That was huge He was very intoacoustics, so for him he had to havethe dome.”A sunken garden with flagstone

walks, pool and fountain was con-structed in the center of the schoolgrounds, between the auditorium andgymnasium wings. The three fountainswere equipped with hidden underwa-ter red, white and blue lighting.The fountains were removed in 1972

because they were deteriorating, andin 1980 new fountains and a pool re-placed them. However the new waterdisplay never matched the eleganceof the old one. In 2007, Cambensyhelped start efforts to restore thecourtyard and fountains to their origi-nal appearance, using funds do-nated mostly by Graveraet alumni.She said the courtyard and fountain

were and continue to be a gatheringplace for the community.“I work late some nights and I can

hear people out there, they’ll bringtheir kids and dogs. People will stopand sit here for a bit and enjoy the

beauty and the peacefulness of it.It’s kind of like this hidden cove in themiddle of town,” she said.The first class to graduate from

Graveraet was the class of 1928.The building has been used for pur-

poses other than academics. In the1940s it was discovered that thehighest spot in the center of the citywas the roof of the tower room in thecenter of Graveraet. A small buildingwas constructed on top of the towerwith windows on all four sides, givinga clear 360 degree view. Up until1946, volunteers manned the towerfor four hour shifts around the clock.After the air raid watch was termi-

nated, Graveraet was chosen as afallout shelter because the centercorridor of the basement was deter-mined to be the safest place in townin case of an atomic bomb attack.In 1965, when the current Mar-

quette High School was built, Graver-aet became a middle school. In2004 it became in intermediateschool and it is currently used for al-ternative education.

Far left, a recent exterior photo of Graveraet school. Above are images ofthe courtyard and auditorium at Graveraet school. (Journal photos byChristopher Diem)


By KYLE WHITNEYJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Fewer buildings in

the area have more historic mean-ing than Ishpeming’s Carnegie PublicLibrary, which is named after itsrenowned benefactor, industrialistand philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.Prior to the establishment of the

foundation bearing his name,Carnegie personally funded the con-struction of more than 2,800 librariesnationwide.In 1901, W.H. Johnson, a library

board member from Ishpeming, an-nounced that he had been corre-sponding directly with Carnegie, whoagreed to make available $20,000for the construction of a library in Ish-peming if the city agreed to supportit, to the tune of $2,000 annually.Six firms bid on construction of the

classic building, which was designedby Chicago architect J.D. Chubb.Waterworth, Fee & WIlson receivedthe contract for $23,109 and beganwork in the fall of 1903. The buildingopened officially on April 4, 1904.Though it has now been standing

for more than 107 years, the more

noteworthy aspects of the library’s ar-chitecture remain fully intact.The Roman Doric columns that

frame the entryway, the stained glassskylight that hangs over the circula-tion desk and the glass floor on thebuilding’s second level are all part ofthe library’s charm, according to li-brary Director Cindy Mack.“The architecture of the building —

a lot of it — is based on ancientRoman buildings and colloseums,”she said. “It’s kind of a very interest-ing architecture, especially for thebuilding that we’re in.”Mack contends Chubb was utilizing

architectural ideas gleaned from the1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, the firstwith national pavilions. According tolibrary documents, the keystone lo-cated at the top of the arch hear-kens back to the Colonial period.“People are surprised. There are a

lot of visitors who walk in and they’rereally, really surprised by the build-ing,” Mack said. “On the outside, younotice the columns. You notice thebuilding, but until you walk into thefacility, I don’t think you notice all ofthe details, all of the fixtures.”

CARNEGIE LIBRARYAn historic jewel in Ishpeming


The library hasn’t undergone anymajor remodeling since its initialconstruction more than a centuryago, and the staff is now trying tobring the building into the 21st cen-tury on a number of fronts. The mainfocus of those improvements will behandicap accessibility, beginningwith the library’s handicap accessi-bility campaign that is set to beginsoon. “The challenge that we’re facing is

looking at how we can keep the his-toric integrity of the building in placewhile providing much needed ac-cesibility,” Mack said. “Our goal isthat when you walk in our building,you won’t even realize it’s handi-capped accessible.”Campaign literature states that

$300,000 must be raised to updatethe facility. As of early September,more than $45,000 has been raised,according to Mack.

Top left, a photo of the library from the collection of the Marquette Re-gional History Center. Pictured are recent and historical photos of theCarnegie Library’s exterior and interior. (Journal photos by Kyle Whitney)

By CHRISTOPHER DIEMJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — As impressive as St.

Paul Episcopal Church is, it couldhave been even more imposing.The original designs for the church,

located at 201 E. Ridge St., includeda spire atop the four-sided tower. How-ever, a shortage of stone and fundsmeant the spire was never built. Re-gardless, St. Paul, built in 1874 fromMarquette brownstone with a roof ofLake Superior slate, is one of Mar-quette’s more impressive churchbuildings. It has been designated aNational Historic Landmark.“There’s a lot of history in this church,”

said Pat Micklow, a member of thechurch and part of St. Paul’s adminis-tration.The church’s interior is Gothic in style

with a beamed ceiling featuring finecutwork. It is cruciform in shape with adeeply recessed chancel. The interior

is about 60 feet wide by 120 feetlong, including the vestibule, transeptsand chancel. The woodwork is oakand the pews are butternut trimmedin walnut.The church also features many or-

nate stained glass windows, donatedby Marquette citizens and installedthroughout the church’s history. TheMiller-Rankin window, above the bal-cony at the back of the church, wasmade and signed by Charles J. Con-nick Associates of Boston. Micklowsaid it was given in memory of StuartMiller and Carol Watson Rankin and in-stalled in 1952.The 30-foot corner tower houses the

Meneely bell, first hung from a hastilyerected belfry in the churchyard andthen hung in the tower of the oldchurch building. Micklow said the bellwas cracked by an enthusiastic fourthof July celebrant when it was rung 400times. The bell was recast in 1896.

Peter White, one of Marquette’sfounding fathers, was a member ofthe church. White, who funded nu-merous buildings around the city anddonated many parcels of land, savedperhaps his most personal contribu-tion for St. Paul.The Morgan Chapel, made of the

same material used to make thechurch, was built in 1887 and namedafter Morgan White, Peter White’s de-ceased son. The purpose of the build-ing was to provide a center for theparish school and it has been used asa Sunday School, a chapel and aplace for social activities.Three local woods are used in the in-

terior — the ceiling is finished in oiledNorway pone, the doors and wain-scoting in oak and the floor in maple.One of the main features of the

chapel is the large, stained glassTiffany window. Smaller stained glasswindows adorn the side walls.

St. Paul’s congregation had its hum-ble beginnings in 1856 in the cabin ofthe steamer Planet in Marquette’s har-bor. The wooden structure of the firstchurch building, located at the cornerof Ridge and High streets where thecurrent church stands, was built in1856. In 1873, the congregationstarted raising money for a newchurch. They sold the old churchbuilding to the German Lutherans andit was moved to the 100 block of WestRidge Street.Most of the church was completed

in 1874 and was opened for servicesfor Christmas in 1875. The architectwas G.W. Lloyd from Detroit and theconstruction supervisor was C.F. Struckof Marquette.In 1989 work began on a new addi-

tion, which was incorporated with theexisting building. It contains thechurch’s sanctuary, offices, and gath-ering places.


ST. PAUL EPISCOPALCHURCH

adorned with stained glass


Left, the exterior of the St. Paul Episcopal Church. Above and below, recent photos of the interior of the church and stained glass. (Journal photos byChristopher Diem)

32 SUPERIORLAND MAGAZINE : ARCHITECTURE BY DESIGN

By JOHN PEPINJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — The ornate old Mar-

quette City Hall along WashingtonStreet was built in 1894 to last forever,at a cost of $50,000 limited by theelectorate, on a site occupied previ-ously by three different public schools.The plans for the building were cre-

ated by Andrew Lovejoy —who hadrecently come to Marquette fromdownstate to supervise construction ofthe Marquette Branch Prison— andEdward Demar, a well-known Ishpem-ing draughtsman.“The necessary sandstone was to be

taken from within the city limits; and sosawing at the quarry in south Mar-quette, a previously abandoned site,was begun in February of 1894. Therequired brick was to be pressed inthe city too,” wrote John Cebalo in2005.A tour brochure said designs for pub-

lic buildings including the old city hallhave long incorporated symbolic ele-ments.“Domes and columns connoted jus-

tice and an elevated first floor symbol-ized the ‘high’ significance of theworkings of government,” the 1977brochure read. “Even the very heightof the building was meant to set thescale for the downtown business dis-trict by slightly topping out everything

else with its spectacular tower andcopula.”The building measured 92 feet by 72

feet in plans. In 1975, locals docu-mented various aspects of the struc-ture to secure a designation on theNational Register of Historic Places.The building had previously beennamed a state historic landmark.“It is topped by a hipped roof of red

tile. A convex dome, capped by aglazed cupola, rises from the centerof the front wall. A bold cornice proj-ects from the facade. Arches domi-nate the composition of the exterior,symmetrically arranged in a system of1:2 proportions,” the application read.“A large archway, supported by pol-ished granite columns with carvedsandstone bases and capitals, spansthe main portico, itself echoed by theround-arched entry.“This arched entry and its relief orna-

ment of carved sandstone and terracotta is Sullivanesque in treatment.Windows are grouped vertically underarches between sandstone piers in away that resembles H.H. Richardson’streatment of windows in the MarshallField Warehouse (1885-87), Chicago.”Above the sandstone base, the walls

are brick infill between sandstone piersand arches, the application stated.“A stained glass hemispherical win-

dow with prism pieces fills the arch

above the entry. Two similar windowsare in the stair landing above,” ac-cording to the writing.Cebalo said that in the 1890s the

police department was lodged in thebasement, with an entrance in therear. Additional space was taken upby the boiler room, coal bins andstore rooms.“The offices of the mayor, recorder

and treasurer, as well as the policecourt and the vaults, were off themain hall on the first floor. The broadflight of stairs lead up to the secondfloor and the offices of the city attor-ney, street commissioner, engineerand health officer,” Cebalo wrote. “Butthe premiere room in the building wasthe council chamber, which rose twostories and featured a large galleryand a decorated ceiling. The thirdfloor was monopolized by the spa-cious assembly hall. At this time oftransition, the lighting fixtures through-out the building were designed to uti-lize both gas and electricity.”In the mid-1970s, the Marquette City

Commission decided to build a newcity hall at the corner of Baraga Av-enue and Fourth Street. Locals hopedto preserve the building, which hadfallen into some disrepair.“Signs of the structure’s problems are

most everywhere, from a cracked wallin a washroom of the billing depart-

ment of Light and Power to a long-since abandoned wing of city hall’sthird floor theater, now occupied byengineers,” The Mining Journal wrotein 1975, as city departments weremoving to their new location. At thattime, the old jail lockout hadn’t beenused in about a decade.Local contractor Peter O’Dovero was

lauded by city officials for his efforts topurchase the structure for $75,000and renovate and preserve it at acost of roughly $500,000.“Old features include leaded glass

windows, a stately dome, the sand-stone exterior and, of course the flavorof the building,” The Mining Journalwrote. “Features added include an el-evator, carpeting throughout, twolarge arched windows on the thirdfloor, which offer sweeping views ofdowntown, South Marquette and LakeSuperior’s Lower Harbor and rear en-trance ramp allowing access to thehandicapped.”In 1977, O’Dovero reopened the

building as home to more than twodozen rental spaces for offices, a usethat has continued to the present, cur-rently with about 40 percent occu-pancy.The structure continues to command

a prominent profile in the Marquetteskyline, almost 12 decades since itwas built.

MARQUETTECITY HALLA symbolic historic place

Above, recent photos of the exterior and interior of the old Marquette CityHall. (Journal photos by John Pepin)

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