Landmark Inn

Landmark Inn
Map
Former names
  • Hotel Northland
  • Heritage House
  • Old Marquette Inn
General information
LocationMarquette, Michigan
Address230 North Front Street
Coordinates46°32′42″N 87°23′31″W / 46.545°N 87.392°W / 46.545; -87.392
Construction started1917
Completed1930
Opened1930
Renovated1995–97
OwnerGraves Hospitality Management
Height6 stories
Design and construction
Architect(s)Samuel Shackford Otis[1]
Website
thelandmarkinn.com

The Landmark Inn is a historic hotel on Front Street in downtown Marquette, Michigan. The hotel originally opened in 1930 as the Hotel Northland. As it originally did, the hotel operates as a full-service hotel with 66 rooms, many of which overlook the shores of Lake Superior.

History

Building plans and concept work on the hotel started in June 1916 and were overseen by Samuel Shackford Otis.[2] Construction on Hotel Northland began with foundation pouring in 1920 but was quickly halted due to lack of funding.[2] After George Shiras III and the stockholders of the Kambawgam Hotel Co.[3] had raised the $35,000 (equivalent to $489,000 in 2023[4]) necessary to build the hotel, construction resumed 12 years later on April 1, 1929. [5] Hotel Northland officially opened to guests on January 2, 1930.[2]

Through the 1970s, the hotel fell into a severe state of disrepair. The deterioration of the building and a series of rapid name changes (including "Heritage House" in the mid-1970s and "Old Marquette Inn" in 1978) ultimately lead to its closure in 1982, after which it was considered abandoned.[2][5]

In 1995, the hotel property was purchased by Christine and Bruce Pesola for $103,000 (equivalent to $188,000 in 2023[4])[5] and in that same year, a complete renovation of the building began.[2] After renovation efforts were finished in 1997, the newly restored hotel was reopened as the Landmark Inn.[6]

Throughout its history, the hotel has hosted many celebrities and historical figures including: Amelia Earhart in 1932, Abbott & Costello in 1942, astronaut Jerry Lineger,[2] and Maya Angelou. The hotel also hosted the crew of the film Anatomy of a Murder during filming in 1959.

Current use

The hotel has been owned by Graves Hospitality Management since 2015.[7] The Landmark Inn operates 66 rooms, many of which are now named in coordination to the celebrities and historical figures that have stayed in each respective room. For a number of years, the Landmark Inn was a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation;[8] the hotel left the program in 2016.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Samuel S. Otis, Architect & Engineer (firm), Roster Questionnaire, 1946" (PDF). The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects. The American Institute of Architects Archives.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Learn About Our Historic Michigan Hotel". Landmark Inn. Retrieved April 26, 2022.[self-published source]
  3. ^ "Don Hutson Sues Hotel in Marquette fort $100,00". The Escanaba Daily Press. Associated Press. March 23, 1949. p. 14.
  4. ^ a b Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  5. ^ a b c Mattson, Darcia (May 22, 2007). "Landmark celebrates 10th anniversary". Marquette Monthly. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Counts, Jeff (2011). An Explorer's Guide: Michigan (2nd ed.). Woodstock, Vermont: Countryman Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-88150-949-6.
  7. ^ "New Ownership at the Landmark Inn in Marquette". Editorial. The Mining Journal. Marquette, Michigan. March 9, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  8. ^ "Landmark Inn, a Historic Hotels of America member". Historic Hotels of America. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.