Birch Lodge Hospital and Summer Resort Sanitarium | |
Location | Co. Rt. H-40, .6 mi. W of MI 123, Trout Lake, Michigan |
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Coordinates | 46°11′26″N 85°1′58″W / 46.19056°N 85.03278°W |
Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
Built | 1911 |
Built by | H. Emery |
Architect | Dr. Edgar Ford |
NRHP reference No. | 96001376 [1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 29, 1996 |
Designated MSHS | November 20, 1987 [2] |
The Birch Lodge, also known as the Birch Lodge Hospital and Summer Resort Sanitarium or the Trout Lake Sanitarium, is a resort facility located on the northern shore of Trout Lake, off County Route H-40, .6 miles (0.97 km) west of MI-123, in Trout Lake Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 [1] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1987. [2]
Birch Lodge was founded as one of a crop of resorts built in upper Michigan around the beginning of the 20th century. [3] It was started by Dr. Edgar David Ford and his wife Cornelia [3] of Cambria, Wisconsin [2] as a combination of a summer resort as tuberculosis sanitorium. [4] The Fords obtained property on Trout Lake in 1911 [5] and hired H. Emery, also of Cambria, to construct the lodge, [3] designing it as a resort that combined outdoor recreation and medical health. [2] However, before the lodge opened, Edgar Ford died of rabies. [5] Despite this, the resort was opened in 1912 by Cornelia Ford and her sons. [5]
However, the Birch Lodge Hospital quickly ran into financial trouble. [3] In 1915, the title was transferred to mortgage holder Oliver W. Smith. [5] One of the first mounted State Constabulary units (a precursor to the state police) occupied the site from 1918 - 1922, and it was used as a private residence for a time. [5] Charles and Estelle Moore purchased Birch Lodge in 1926. They re-established the property as a resort and operated it until 1938. [3] [5] The resort went through three more owners and some remodeling [5] until Cliff and Anna Badgley purchased it in 1952. [3] The Badgleys constructed an eight-room brick motel on the property in 1964. [5] Cliff Badgley died in 1981, but Anna continued to operate the resort. [5] The lodge was closed in 1985, [5] but the motel was operated until Anna died in 2006. [6] In 2010 the property was sold to new owners, who reopened it. [5]
Birch Lodge is situated on 20 acres located along the northern shore of Trout Lake. [3] When it opened, the lodge had cottages, a recreation room, boating equipment, and a dancing pavilion; it also boasted hospital facilities such as an operating room and a linen room. [2] There are currently six structures on the property: the main lodge, three frame utility buildings that were once cabins, and two log cabins. [3] The largest of these, the main lodge, is a three-story wood-framed structure on a fieldstone foundation, built in 1911. [3] It is constructed on a T-plan and is clad primarily in clapboard, although the third-floor mansard gables are now covered with vinyl siding. [3] The windows are rectangular lights, and set between green-painted shutters accented with diamond shapes. [2] The roof is clad in asphalt shingling. [2] Much of the interior furnishings of the lodge date to its construction, and it remains a well-preserved example of early 20th century resort architecture. [3]
Birch Lodge Hospital and Summer Resort Sanitarium | |
Location | Co. Rt. H-40, .6 mi. W of MI 123, Trout Lake, Michigan |
---|---|
Coordinates | 46°11′26″N 85°1′58″W / 46.19056°N 85.03278°W |
Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
Built | 1911 |
Built by | H. Emery |
Architect | Dr. Edgar Ford |
NRHP reference No. | 96001376 [1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 29, 1996 |
Designated MSHS | November 20, 1987 [2] |
The Birch Lodge, also known as the Birch Lodge Hospital and Summer Resort Sanitarium or the Trout Lake Sanitarium, is a resort facility located on the northern shore of Trout Lake, off County Route H-40, .6 miles (0.97 km) west of MI-123, in Trout Lake Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 [1] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1987. [2]
Birch Lodge was founded as one of a crop of resorts built in upper Michigan around the beginning of the 20th century. [3] It was started by Dr. Edgar David Ford and his wife Cornelia [3] of Cambria, Wisconsin [2] as a combination of a summer resort as tuberculosis sanitorium. [4] The Fords obtained property on Trout Lake in 1911 [5] and hired H. Emery, also of Cambria, to construct the lodge, [3] designing it as a resort that combined outdoor recreation and medical health. [2] However, before the lodge opened, Edgar Ford died of rabies. [5] Despite this, the resort was opened in 1912 by Cornelia Ford and her sons. [5]
However, the Birch Lodge Hospital quickly ran into financial trouble. [3] In 1915, the title was transferred to mortgage holder Oliver W. Smith. [5] One of the first mounted State Constabulary units (a precursor to the state police) occupied the site from 1918 - 1922, and it was used as a private residence for a time. [5] Charles and Estelle Moore purchased Birch Lodge in 1926. They re-established the property as a resort and operated it until 1938. [3] [5] The resort went through three more owners and some remodeling [5] until Cliff and Anna Badgley purchased it in 1952. [3] The Badgleys constructed an eight-room brick motel on the property in 1964. [5] Cliff Badgley died in 1981, but Anna continued to operate the resort. [5] The lodge was closed in 1985, [5] but the motel was operated until Anna died in 2006. [6] In 2010 the property was sold to new owners, who reopened it. [5]
Birch Lodge is situated on 20 acres located along the northern shore of Trout Lake. [3] When it opened, the lodge had cottages, a recreation room, boating equipment, and a dancing pavilion; it also boasted hospital facilities such as an operating room and a linen room. [2] There are currently six structures on the property: the main lodge, three frame utility buildings that were once cabins, and two log cabins. [3] The largest of these, the main lodge, is a three-story wood-framed structure on a fieldstone foundation, built in 1911. [3] It is constructed on a T-plan and is clad primarily in clapboard, although the third-floor mansard gables are now covered with vinyl siding. [3] The windows are rectangular lights, and set between green-painted shutters accented with diamond shapes. [2] The roof is clad in asphalt shingling. [2] Much of the interior furnishings of the lodge date to its construction, and it remains a well-preserved example of early 20th century resort architecture. [3]