The National House is a hotel located at 102 South Parkview in

Marshall, Michigan Marshall is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County, Michigan. The population was 6,822 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Marshall is best known for its cross-section of 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and as the futu ...

. It was listed on 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 1978. It is thought to be the first brick building constructed in Calhoun County. As of 2019, the building operated as a

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

History

In 1834, local businessman Andrew Mann hired George Bentley and Nathan Benedict to construct a brick hotel. The structure was completed in 1835, and Mann opened the inn by hosting a formal ball on January 1, 1836. Mann leased the inn to another proprietor in 1837, but it continued to prosper as a stop on the

Territorial Road A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international relations, international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the po ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. By 1837 it was one of three taverns in Marshall, and by 1877 it was one of eight hotels in the area. Around this time an addition was constructed. In 1879, it was sold by Mrs. R. A. Facey, and ceased operating as a hotel. For a time it housed a factory for wagons and windmills, and around 1900 it was purchased by Dr. Andrew Dean, who converted it into an apartment building. It operated as apartments until it was purchased by the Minick and Kinney families in 1976. The new owners refurbished the building, and in 1977 reopened it as the National House Inn. As of 2019, the National House is open as a bed and breakfast.

Description

The National House is a two-story brick hotel on a sandstone foundation with a gable roof. It is built in an L plan, with the main facade fronting onto Parkview and the old Courthouse Square. This facade has a central door opening containing a transom and side panels around the door. Flanking the entrance are two irregularly placed windows. Five window bays run across the second floor. All windows have plain stone lintels and slipsills. On the side, the gable facade of the main rectangle has three windows and a linteled door on the ground floor and four second story windows, with one smaller window located above under the eaves. A gabled four bay extension, which defines the shorter leg of the L, continues the facade. This extension contains openings similar to the main facade. The late 1870s brick addition is a two-story, six-bay structure adjoining the original section in one corner.

References

External links

National House Inn
{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Calhoun County, Michigan Houses completed in 1835