The John J. Makinen Bottle House (also known as the Kaleva Bottle House, Kaleva Bottle House Museum, and Kaleva Historical Museum) is a house built of
bottle wall
A bottle wall is a wall made out of glass or plastic bottles and binding material.
Bottle wall construction
This is a building construction style which usually uses glass bottles (although mason jars, glass jugs, and other glass containers may ...
construction in 1941 by John J. Makinen, Sr. It is located in
Kaleva, Michigan
Kaleva ( ) is a village in Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 507 at the 2020 census.
Geography
*According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.
*Kaleva is part of Northern ...
near
Manistee. Construction uses over 60,000 bottles laid on their sides with the bottoms toward the exterior.
History
Makinen was a native of
Finland and moved to northwestern Michigan in 1903. He owned and operated the Northwestern Bottling Works Company in Kaleva. He died just before he and his family were to move into the new bottle house.
Most of the bottles came from his bottling plant as the bottom of the bottles reveal. There is a large variety of bottles that were used for many products, including drinks, wine, beer, and liqueur. The bottles were not only round, but oblong in shape as well. The bottles are arranged with clear bottles and brown color bottles on the front of the house to spell "HAPPY HOME."
Museum
The Kaleva Historical Society bought the house in 1980. The Kaleva Historical Museum then purchased it in 1981 for a museum after it was remodeled. The museum includes 19th- and 20th-century items. It also has information on the local area schools, along with local companies and families. It is listed on the National Register of Historical Sites and the Michigan Register of Historical Sites
as the plaques in front of the house show.
Corking
The term "pop", for carbonated
soft drink
A soft drink (see ยง Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...
s, originated in northern Michigan. The museum claims that perhaps it came from the Northwestern Bottling Works Company. It turns out in the early bottling techniques the beverage in its bottle with the cork could not withstand the pressure of the carbonation. On occasion then the cork would blow out of the bottle from the pressure and a loud "POP" sound would be produced.
Children
Early in the opening of the Kaleva Bottle House Museum, the children coming through it often just wanted to see the bathroom, as the bathtub had been featured in a Nickelodeon show with a sock puppet.
References
External links
The Bottle House Museum Kaleva, Michigan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makinen Bottle House, John J.
Houses completed in 1941
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Historic house museums in Michigan
Museums in Manistee County, Michigan
Roadside attractions in Michigan
Finnish-American history
Finnish-American culture in Michigan
Houses in Manistee County, Michigan
National Register of Historic Places in Manistee County, Michigan
Bottle houses