Modern Driving Tour:
Northwest Michigan
The Northwest Michigan region celebrates mid-century modern architecture exemplified through a variety of schools, churches, public buildings and private residences built between the 1940s and 1970s.
Using Traverse City as the hub, drive north along M22 through beautiful Leelanau County, known for its orchards, vineyards and extraordinary landscapes, to Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Or from Traverse City drive north onto the Old Mission Peninsula to experience wineries and idyllic views of both East and West Bays. Take a little over an hour’s drive north to Charlevoix in Charlevoix County and from there on to Petoskey and Harbor Springs in Emmet County. South of Traverse City is the tiny village of Interlochen, home of the world renowned Interlochen Center for the Arts operating since 1928. From there, drive west to beautiful Benzie County. All providing breath-taking scenery, mid-century modern gems, + natural wonders to explore.
Northwest Michigan Chairs: Jackie Shinners, Susan J. Bandes
City of Traverse City
Become acquainted with Traverse City through its mid-century modern architecture self-guided driving tour of neighborhoods featuring residential, commercial and religious architecture built between the 1940s and 1970s
Delamar Resort | 615 East Front Street First known as the Holiday Inn, this elegant hotel, situated on the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, was designed by Alden B. Dow and built in 1968. Although it has undergone several renovations, it retains its original footprint, main entrance and each room touting a view of the bay. The rooms have been updated, but minimally changed in style. In its most recent remodel, an effort was made to return to the original brick and shingle exterior.
Grand Traverse Motel | 1010 East Front Street Just a few blocks south of Grand Traverse Bay, the Grand Traverse Motel was first built as a one-story motel complete with swimming pool in 1950. By 1955, to accommodate the influx of tourists coming to the area, a wing was added turning the motel into an L-shaped structure. In the face of ever-expanding tourism, a second story was added to the addition in the 1970s. Note the change in windows from the original. Although the pool was filled in sometime in the 1990s, little else has changed.
Round’s Restaurant | 1033 East Eighth Street Originally called Round’s Circle Inn Restaurant, located in the Eastfield District, this 1948 low, one-story structure has retained its original exterior with minimal change. The door was moved to the center and the stone brick wall was raised to create a semicircular garden bed. The building is distinguished by its semi-circular extension and echoes the circular shape of the signage in reference to the original owners, William and Mary Round. Today it is most noted for an all-day breakfast specializing in homemade velvet corned beef hash.
Don’s Drive-In | 2030 US Highway 31 N An excellent example of roadside architecture of the 1950s and ‘60s. As their slogan goes, “If you haven’t been to Don’s Drive-In, you haven’t been to Traverse City.” An all American restaurant offering outdoor car-hop and indoor diner service with a menu of “real burgers, real hand-dipped milkshakes, real malts, fries” and more. Little has changed since it was built in 1958 including its black and white tiled floors, 1950s car posters and a working jukebox.
The Dairy Lodge | 405 North Division Street While everything else around this small, square 1959 building has changed or been razed, the Dairy Lodge has stayed the same. It serves as a prime example of now-vanishing roadside architecture that once symbolized a growing America when the automobile and new roads on which to explore this vast country reigned. It is easily recognized by its iconic image of a woman with blond hair on one side and brunette on the other, wearing a Santa cap, in front of an igloo riding an ice cream cone.
Bardon’s Wonder Freeze | 1100 East Front Street Built in 1950, this simple structure, complete with rooftop “sputnik”, has been serving ice cream to families for over 70 years. Situated in close proximity to the Civic Center, where several diamonds keep kids in play, Bardon’s is where teams gather after a game, win or lose.
Doug Murdick’s Fudge | 4500 US 31 Perhaps it was the Murdick family that put fudge on the Michigan map. The original family of fudge makers sold a fudge noted for its unduplicated creaminess. Their descendent Doug Murdick opened his first store in downtown Traverse City in 1964. In 1965 he opened a second location on East Bay, selling the same delicious fudge, in a small building along the highway recognized from a distance by its “rooftop box of fudge.”
Northwestern Michigan College campus | 1701 East Front Street While NMC was founded in 1951, it operated out of the Cherry Capital Airport Terminal building until 1955 when it moved to its present location, a 100 acre campus under a grove of magnificent and stately white pines. The first campus building was completed in 1955 and served as the administration building. A few buildings, namely the gymnasium and old library, retain their original style of architecture.
Shirley S. Okerstrom Fine Arts Building The most notable campus building, however, is the mid-century modern Shirley S. Okerstrom Fine Arts building, completed in 1971. It was designed by The Architects Collaborative, a firm established by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, and seven young architects in Cambridge, MA in 1945. A departure from the typical campus architecture of the time, this building was to reflect ideals and principles of creating art in a space unencumbered by constraining classrooms. The asymmetric architectural design is distinguished by its alternating sloping walls of cedar and glass.
Traverse City Senior High School Set within an open campus, classrooms, a gymnasium and library were all housed in separate, one-story buildings. At the time, it was rather unusual for a high school in a northern climate to have such a setting. Gordon Cornwell,one of Traverse City’s most prolific architects, was also responsible for the Junior High School, set high on a hill overlooking the city. Different from the High School, the Junior High was built as a one-story series of connected buildings.
Dennos Museum Center, on the NMC campus Although not a mid-century building, it was designed by local architect Robert Holdeman of AAI Architects in 1991 to reflect the mid-century style of architecture existing on the campus. Cornerstone Architects designed the 2019 expansion. Among the museum’s modern and contemporary collection, is the largest and most historically complete collection of Inuit art in the United States.
Crooked Tree Arts Center | 322 Sixth Street Located in the original 1905 Carnegie Library building on historic Sixth Street along the Boardman River, it offers a variety of classes, talks and events. The 1964 addition by Gordon Cornwell is a prime example of mid-century modern architecture, with characteristic flat roof, open floor plan and glass wall.
Modern Churches in Traverse City
Traverse City features a number of churches built in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Four local architect-designed outstanding examples include:
St. Michael’s Lutheran Church | 915 S. Garfield Avenue Designed by modernist Orus O. Eash in 1955. His use of a parabolic arch allowed for a single unified interior space that would accommodate 120 parishioners. When the building was constructed, a single story rectangular wing was attached to the east side. A second wing was added to the west side in 2002.
First Congregational Church | 6105 Center Road Designed In 1958 by Gordon Cornwell, who designed not only churches but the Traverse City Senior and Junior High Schools, two elementary schools, and numerous residences in and around the area. Soaring A-frames and light-filled interiors distinguish his church architecture and can be found in not only this church but also Bethlehem Lutheran, designed in 1954, and The All Faiths Chapel on the grounds of the original Traverse City Asylum in 1965.
Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church | 308 North Cedar Street Designed by Harford Field in 1953. With the exception of the 1955 addition of a Centennial Hall, a large, open communal space with an atrium courtyard, the church architecture remains completely intact. Seven years later Harford Field was called upon to build a school adjacent to the church to accommodate the growing number of students.
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church | 1025 South Union Street Designed by Richard Drury in 1977, with the stained glass, ceramics, bronze sculpture and liturgical vessels crafted by local artists. For a magical experience, visit the church just before sunset to experience the wonder of stained glass. While the church itself remains intact, a recent 2021 addition has been erected to accommodate an expanded narthex, reception area, chapel, classrooms, and rectory.
Lost Treasures
The post World War II growth of Traverse City brought about an environmental awareness and importance of Grand Traverse Bay that focused on the health and livelihood of a growing area. In the early part of the 20th century, the entire West Bay waterfront was lined with industrial plants, warehouses, and processing plants, all but totally obscuring a view of the bay. By the late 1970s, with the exception of the TC Light and Power Generating Plant, one structure after another had been razed to make way for the newly imagined ‘Open Space’, with a clear and unencumbered view of Grand Traverse Bay.
Immaculate Conception School Another lost treasure was the Immaculate Conception School, designed by Harford Field in 1959 and opened in 1961, to house grades 1-8. The building featured eight classrooms, administration + health rooms, a combination gymnasium/auditorium, and a kitchen + cafeteria. It was demolished in 2018.
Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce Another mid-century modern architectural gem was The Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce Building. It was designed by local architect Paul Hazelton in 1965, to help facilitate growth and management of area businesses. The building was commonly referred to as 'The Block House Building' and maintained a prime location on Grandview Parkway across from the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. It was torn down and replaced with a larger, Gothic style structure in 2001.
Traverse City Power Generating Facility The last remaining structure to come down was the Traverse City Power Generating Facility. It was designed by Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. Architects & Engineers in 1966, to house expanded generator facilities for Traverse City Light and Power. This design received the Architectural Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Steel Construction in 1969. Photo courtesy Traverse Area District Library Local History Collection
Leelanau Peninsula
From Traverse City take a short drive north along M22 through the unique shoreline villages of Suttons Bay, Lake Leelanau, Leland and Northport before heading west to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and villages of Empire and Glen Arbor.
Leland
The picturesque village of Leland is located on the shores of Lake Michigan, and is home to the Leland Historic District, commonly known as Fishtown. It is a designated Michigan Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Fishtown is comprised of a cluster of original fish shanties turned shops dotting the short channel just before it empties into Lake Michigan. It remains the only working commercial fish town in Michigan. Leland can serve as a home base for visiting the orchards, vineyards, wineries and shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula. Leland is also the jumping off point for a ferry trip to the Manitou Island.
Interlochen
Just 15 miles southwest of Traverse City lies one of the most prestigious cultural centers and schools in America: The Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Interlochen Arts Academy, nestled between Green and Duck Lakes. Spend an inspiring afternoon walking through the campus buildings and listening to students of music, theatre, and dance practice; view an exhibition or attend a world class concert.
Interlochen Golf Course Restaurant & Pro Shop A great way to spend an afternoon is on the beautiful Interlochen Golf Course, built in 1965. Bradley’s Pub and Grille makes up the majority of interior space with a dining area, kitchen, bar, and a Pro Shop. Although somewhat altered, the original open-spaced dining area and pro shop have been retained.
Interlochen Center for the Arts | 4000 J Maddy Parkway Alden B. Dow was responsible for the initial campus layout and designed over a dozen structures utilizing indigenous stone, wood and poured concrete block. Of particular interest are his three domed classrooms for the sciences, language arts and library radiating from an enclosed and heated concourse that served all three buildings. Photo courtesy Alden B. Dow Home and Studio
Benzie County
Benzie County lies south west of Traverse City and is easily reached from Interlochen Corners. Continue along US 31/37 into beautiful Benzie County to explore Beulah on Crystal Lake, Benzonia, and Frankfort on Lake Michigan where much of the downtown features mid-century modern buildings and a period A & W Root Beer Drive-In, before traveling north on iconic M 22 Leelanau County.
Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theatre & Diner | 9812 Honor Highway (from Interlochen Corners drive west along U.S. 31/37 into Benzie County) Don’t miss the opportunity to experience the quintessential mid-century form of entertainment by watching a movie on a really big screen! Built in 1950, the Cherry Bowl Drive-In is an entertainment throwback to the 1950s featuring a playground, vintage movie memorabilia and a putt-putt style golf course, and boasts fresh food made with the finest ingredients. In the late 1950s, the screen was made wider to accommodate cinemascope.
Antrim, Charlevoix + Emmet Counties
Situated to the east and north of Traverse City are Antrim, Charlevoix and Emmet Counties. Antrim County is noted for its 200 miles of waterways known as The Chain of Lakes connecting Elk Lake in Elk Rapids to greater Antrim County, and beautiful Torch Lake, once featured in National Geographic. The small town of Charlevoix and seat of Charlevoix County is situated on Little Traverse Bay and Round Lake and is home to the magical work of local architect, Earl Young. To the north of Charlevoix lies Emmet County bounded on the west by Lake Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac to the north, and features M119, known as 'The Tunnel of Trees', a 20 mile winding road on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.
Antrim County, northeast of Grand Traverse County, is noted for its 200 miles of waterways known as The Chain of Lakes connecting Elk Lake to greater Antrim County. Antrim County Airport | Bellaire Designed by Traverse City architect Paul Hazelton who also designed the Cherry Capital Airport Terminal Building Complex and Hangar in Traverse City in 1959. This Antrim County Airport in Bellaire opened in 1971 and features a wood and brick A-frame entrance, and facade attached to a low rectangular section housing a lobby and offices.
Conway Sacramentine Monastery & Augustine Retreat Center | 2798 US 31 N A retreat house, established in 1951, is open to individuals and groups seeking a spiritual retreat.
Shanty Creek Resort, Bellaire Shanty Creek Resort, a mid-century modern gem, is set on 4500 acres of pristine beauty overlooking Lake Bellaire. It is comprised of four separate and distinct villages: Summit Village, Cedar Village, Hawk’s Eye Village and Schuss Mountain, each offering slightly different lodging, dining and recreational opportunities. The Lodge at Shanty Creek, a streamlined timber, stone and glass building designed by architect H. Jack Begrow. Today, the lodge is called The Lakeview Hotel and Conference Center.
Weathervane Restaurant | 106 Pine River Lane Originally built as a grist mill, this building was converted to a restaurant by Earl Young in 1954 and features his organic curved or wavy roof and large boulders. Of special note, is the dining room boulder fireplace whose shape appears to resemble the state of Michigan.
Weathervane Inn and Terrace Suites | 111 Pine Lane This inn was also designed by Earl Young in 1965.
Situated on Little Traverse Bay, Charlevoix is home to the magical work of architect Earl Young, who designed twenty-six houses and four commercial buildings from boulders found along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Each structure, known as theMushroom Houses, features a gnome-like quality with undulating shingle roofs, and an asymmetrical plan. Choose from one of four Earl Young Mushroom houses for your stay in Charlevoix.
Harbor Springs Birchwood Inn | 7291 S. Lakeshore Dr. Located just south of Harbor Springs on the scenic “Tunnel of Trees” drive. This low-sloped roofline separated by a local stone fireplace visually divides this 10 window symmetrical facade. The rustic interior ambience is achieved through pine walls and large windows looking out onto a lawn and woods beyond.