Granot Loma is an estate located on County Road 550 north of

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquett ...

, constructed in the tradition of the

Great Camps __NOTOC__ The Great Camps of the Adirondack Mountains refers to the grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks such as Spitfire Lake and Rainbow Lake. The camp ...

of the Adirondacks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1991. It is said to be the "biggest log cabin in the world" and the most expensive residence in Michigan. In 2022, Granot Loma was being touted as a potential space port in the Upper Peninsula. This would be in tandem with

Oscoda, Michigan Oscoda ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The CDP had a population of 916 at the 2020 census. The community is located within Au Sable Township and Oscoda Townsh ...

Wurtsmith Air Force Base Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan. It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. On January 18, 1994 it was listed as a Superfund due to extensive groundwater contaminatio ...

History

American businessman

Louis Graveraet Kaufman Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

began building Granot Loma in 1919, for use as a summer residence. He hired Marshall and Fox of Chicago as architects and employed three hundred local craftsmen, and was believed to have hired local expert log builder Nestor Kallioinen to oversee the construction. He imported pine logs from

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

for the construction. Construction was complete in 1923 or 1924, with some additional interior work continuing through 1927 or 1928. The Loma Farms complex, designed to provide income and supply food for the lodge, was constructed in 1927 by the Bartlett Construction Company of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Bartlett used a number of designs provided by the Louden Machinery Company of Fairfield, Iowa. Kaufman held an opening bash in 1927 to celebrate the completion of Granot Loma. Guests who stayed at Granot Loma over the years included tennis star

Bill Tilden William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

, Fred Astaire, and

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

. Louis Kaufman died in 1942; his wife Marie died in 1947. With Marie's passing, the farming operation ceased. One of the couple's daughters, Joan, lived there with her last husband, Jack Martin, the former caretaker of Granot Loma for a few years, but by 1950 the lodge was essentially abandoned. They occupied the farm and the lodge was used for special occasions. Granot Loma was finally sold by the Kaufman family to Tom Baldwin in 1987. Baldwin renovated the house, and in 1991 it was listed on the

Description

The estate's title, Granot Loma, is a random hodgepodge of letters from the names of Kaufman's first three children and his wife's name. Kaufman retained 22

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s to design the building. Pine logs were shipped from

by train. The structure is built on a steel frame resting on a thick concrete foundation. As completed in 1923, the lodge cost

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

5 million (equivalent to $70 million in 2016). The estate of Granot Loma sits on of woodland located along the Lake Superior shore. The lodge is an enormous, L-shaped structure built of logs over a steel frame and with a slate roof. The lodge includes a long greatroom and 23 or 26 bedrooms, 13 baths, and 26 stone

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

s. The estate contains unique and irreplaceable accoutrements, such as Indian/Western scenes by

Orry Kelly Orry-Kelly was the professional name of Orry George Kelly (31 December 1897 – 27 February 1964), an Australian-American Hollywood costume designer. Until being overtaken by Catherine Martin in 2014, he was the most prolific Australian-bor ...

, an Academy Award-winning designer. Loma Farms is a planned farming complex which includes thirteen buildings constructed of vitrified clay tile, situated about one-half mile (800 m) from the lodge complex.

References

Bibliography

*{{cite book , title= Granot Loma: A Legend in Our Time , first= Kathleen Ryan , last= O'Day , year= 1986 , url= https://books.google.com/books?id=P2hmOAAACAAJ

External links

Granot Loma official site
Buildings and structures in Marquette, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Marquette County, Michigan Houses completed in 1927