The Belvedere Club, located south of

Charlevoix, Michigan Charlevoix ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County. The population was 2,348 at the 2020 census. Charlevoix is mostly surrounded by Charlevoix Township, but the two are administered autonomously ...

is a summer home association of 91 cottages between Round Lake and

Lake Charlevoix Lake Charlevoix ( ) is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest inland lake in the state with a surface area of over 17,200 acres (70 km2) and 56 miles (90 km) of shoreline. The maximum depth in ...

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...

founded in 1878. Members are generally from upper class households and originate from the Midwest and South. Many families have been resorting to the club for generations. During the summer season, late June through Labor Day, the Club's entrance is staffed to limit non-member tourist traffic. Most of the cottages are not winterized, but the summer season has been expanding in recent decades to include cottages opening in the spring with many cottages remaining in use through Michigan's fall leaf color season. The club's grounds include a beach, a tennis club, parks and gardens, and a casino dining club, all of which are private. The Belvedere Golf Club, home of the Michigan Amateur Golf Championship for many decades in the mid-20th century, is affiliated with the Belvedere Club. The grounds lie partly in Charlevoix Township and partly in Marion Township, in

Charlevoix County, Michigan Charlevoix County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 26,054. The county seat is Charlevoix. History 1840s: surveyed and organized as Keskkauko County Between 1840 and 1841, surveyors Will ...

. The club was founded in 1878 by Baptists from

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

as the Charlevoix Resort Association. In 1879, a boarding-home style hotel was built on the grounds for guests and loggers. The land was divided into lots and leased for construction of summer cottages. Cottage-building had accelerated by 1882; by various estimates, most cottages were constructed either before 1900 or before 1940. Most feature ornate, bargeboard cupolas and textured wall surfaces. In 1923, a casino was built and the name of the association was changed to the Belvedere Club. In 1887, the 40-room Belvedere Hotel was built on the grounds of the club, replacing the previous hotel that burned down in 1886. The hotel would later be expanded to 85 rooms by 1902, hosting prominent guests such as

Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He was the leader of a team of law enforcement agents, nicknamed The Untouchables. H ...

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

Booth Tarkington Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitze ...

, Adlai Stevenson,

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...

, and

Dean Acheson Dean Gooderham Acheson (pronounced ; April 11, 1893October 12, 1971) was an American statesman and lawyer. As the 51st U.S. Secretary of State, he set the foreign policy of the Harry S. Truman administration from 1949 to 1953. He was also Truman ...

. The hotel was demolished in 1960, following a postwar decline in the 1950s. The club was designated a

Michigan State Historic Site The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in the ...

on November 14, 1974.

References

Golf clubs and courses in Michigan Buildings and structures in Charlevoix County, Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Charlevoix County {{US-org-stub

See also

References