Historic Home Tours: Uncovering Local Architectural Treasures in & around Saugatuck

The area surrounding Saugatuck is dotted with remarkable homes and historic sites. History buffs and architecture enthusiasts will find all kinds of landmarks and properties that have been well-preserved while remaining open to the public. Whether you prefer to visit a Cold War-era radio tower or tour a late nineteenth-century home, you’ll find a fascinating architectural treasure just a short drive from our Michigan bed and breakfast.

The Felt Estate

Located in nearby Holland, the Felt Mansion is one of the area’s must-see historic homes. The grand home, built for inventor Dorr Felt and his wife Agnes in 1928, is a stately, early Republican-style mansion nestled on a fifteen-acre property along the Lake Michigan coastline. Visitors to the property can book a guided tour in advance or enjoy a self-guided tour assisted by a pamphlet detailing the history of the property. Tour the expansive estate including the restored Gibson Church built in 1904, the carriage house and the interior of the mansion during your visit.

The Felt Mansion and surrounding grounds have undergone considerable restoration, but many of the key architectural figures remain in-tact. The original design choices made by Dorr Felt have been maintained and several original structures and pieces can still be found throughout the home.

Tour the large, three-story Gregorian floor plan, marked by its symmetrical style and elegant appearance. The home retains its original hardwood floors among Art Deco tiles and mahogany woodwork. The brick structure also has a limestone portico, gable roof and many other features that will prove interesting to those with a keen eye for architecture.

The Cappon House

The historic Cappon House, also located in Holland, was built by Isaac Cappon, Holland’s first mayor. Cappon and his wife Caterina had the home built in 1874 after the couple’s previous house was claimed in a fire. The Cappon House was designed by architect Jan Kleyn in the Italianate style and has many hallmark features of the style including double arched front doors, tall windows and overhanging eaves.

The home was restored in the early 1990s but still retains the original black walnut and ash woodwork, Lincrusta wallcovering and light fixture medallions. Much of the furniture in the home is also original to the house including the oil paintings, electric chandelier and 1880s telephone. The kitchen was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original in 1924, but many items in the kitchen pantry are artifacts left behind by the Cappon family, like the rolling flour bins.

Throughout the home, several historic features can be found that offer an insight into life in the late nineteenth century. Visitors will find that the washroom was the only room connected to the water supply and is equipped with both a pump for hard water and faucets for soft water. Bedrooms throughout the home can be found with unique, glass panel doors designed to let light into the dim hallway from bedroom windows instead of using electricity.

Book a group tour of the Cappon House, available September through May, for a full tour of the home and a look at its fascinating historic features.

Hackley & Hume Houses

Take a trip to Muskegon for a tour of two unique, nineteenth-century residences known as the Hackley and Hume houses. The pair of magnificent homes were built in 1887 and 1889 for lumber barons and business partners Charles H. Hackley and Thomas Hume by architect David S. Hopkins. The two homes, while different, retain several similar features and sit next door to each other with a shared carriage house, known as the City Barn, between them.

The two Queen Anne-style homes include many elements of Victorian architecture. Features like pine clapboard siding, clustered chimneys, an octagonal corner tower and a rich, multi-color paint scheme can be seen across the pair. The interiors of the two houses include features like beautiful stained-glass windows, geometric tile flooring and ornate carvings utilizing cherry, oak and butternut wood. The Hume home, the larger of the pair, was designed for a sizable family and has features like a large library and sleeping porch located off the second-floor bedroom. The Hackley and Hume houses are open for regular tours May through October, and tickets can be purchased at the City Barn.

Meyer May House

The Meyer May House in Grand Rapids is a remarkable historic home designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed in 1908. The home was built for Meyer May, the president of men’s clothing chain A. May and Sons, and his wife Sophie. Book a tour of the Wright masterpiece to study the remarkable architecture.

Visitors can book a tour of the Wright masterpiece, which retains many original pieces of furniture or carefully executed reproductions.

The home speaks to the amount of inspiration Wright drew from nature as different design elements allow the outdoors to seep inside. Skylights and windows welcome natural light into the structure through geometrically-patterned screens and golden glass found throughout the home add to the earthy atmosphere. Planters are intentionally placed throughout the interior and many doors and windows open out to the gardens, welcoming greenery into the living spaces. The combination of light and nature intermingled with other characteristics of Frank’s designs have earned the property the nickname of “Frank’s Prairie Masterpiece.”

More Historic Sites

Aside from residential properties, other historic sites with intriguing architecture can be found around Saugatuck. Hike to the top of Mount Baldhead to visit the unique Saugatuck Gap Filler Radar Annex perched at the top. The Cold War-era relic was built beginning in 1956 and remained in operation until it was permanently deactivated in 1968. Today it sits inactive but makes for an interesting photo op after a hike.

Learn about Saugatuck’s history as a commercial fishing hotspot with a trip to the Demerest Fishing Shanty located along the shore of the Kalamazoo River. The small shanty was built in the 1940s and has today been transformed into a miniature museum about the area’s commercial fishing industry. The now-restored shanty features an exhibit with informational panels, photographs, fishing artifacts and more.

Before you leave the Saugatuck area, take a trip across the Kalamazoo River on the Saugatuck Chain Ferry. The historic vessel, affectionately named Diane, has been in use since the mid-1800s and was originally used to carry horses across the river. The hand-cranked ferry is the last operational one in the United States and still carries guests across the Kalamazoo today.

Whether you choose to tour the Felt Mansion or hike to the Mount Baldhead radar station, return to the Hotel Saugatuck at the end of your historic tour for rest and relaxation.