The Michigan Governor's Mansion and summer residence are located in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The primary residence is a gated mansion in a secured area of a private neighborhood of

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

. The second home, a summer residence, is located on

Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...

. Both residences are owned by the state of Michigan and are maintained with private donations. The

Michigan Constitution The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government. There have been four constitutions approved by the people of Michigan. The fi ...

specifies that there is to be a governor's residence at the seat of government and that the seat of government shall be at Lansing.Mich. Const. Art. III, § 1

Primary residence

The governor's mansion in Lansing was built in 1957 for Howard and Letha Sober, who donated it to the state in 1969. The furnishings were provided by the State of Michigan. American architect Wallace Frost, who was known for traditional architecture, designed the ranch-style residence with its stone exterior in a contemporary style. The contemporary architecture was a change from his usual style. A garden room was added in the mid-1970's. The gated mansion sits on approximately four acres of secured area in the Moores River Drive estates of Lansing near the scenic Grand River. Governors who have lived in the mansion during their office tenure include

William Milliken William Grawn Milliken (March 26, 1922 – October 18, 2019) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th governor of Michigan from 1969 to 1983. A member of the Republican Party, he assumed the governorship following the r ...

James Blanchard James Johnston Blanchard (born August 8, 1942) is an American attorney, diplomat, and politician who served as the 45th governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Blanchard previo ...

John Engler John Mathias Engler (born October 12, 1948) is an American politician, lawyer, businessman, and lobbyist who served as the 46th governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003. Considered one of the country's top lobbyists, he is a member of the Republi ...

Jennifer Granholm Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is an American politician who was the 16th United States secretary of energy from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously served as the 47t ...

, and current Governor

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (; born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of R ...

. The mansion in Lansing was renovated during the early 2000s and contains , five bedrooms, and four baths. Governor

Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. Snyder, who was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, ...

elected to remain at his

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

residence and used the official residence only for occasional ceremonial functions during his tenure from 2011 to 2019.

Summer residence

Governors Summer Cottage Mackinac Island Lawrence Andrew Young Cottage

The Michigan Governor's Summer Residence on

is a three-story structure located on a bluff overlooking the

Straits of Mackinac The Straits of Mackinac ( ; ) are the short waterways between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traversed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is wide with a maximum depth of , and connects the Great Lakes of Lake M ...

. It was originally built as a private residence for

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

attorney Lawrence Andrew Young. In 1944, the

Mackinac Island State Park Commission The Mackinac Island State Park Commission is an appointed board of the State of Michigan that administers state parklands in the Straits of Mackinac area. It performs public activities under the name Mackinac State Historic Parks. Park units inc ...

purchased the home for its original cost of $15,000. Since then, Michigan's governors have used this home to host important events with national and state leaders. The house was named to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1997.

References

External links

"The Governors Residence Foundation"
- State of Michigan {{United States governors' residences Governors' mansions in the United States Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses completed in 1957 Houses in Ingham County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Lansing, Michigan Ranch house architecture Governor of Michigan

Primary residence

Summer residence

See also

References

External links