Landmark Inn

The Landmark Inn is a historic hotel on Front Street in downtown Marquette, Michigan. The hotel originally opened in 1930 as the Hotel Northland. As it originally did, the hotel operates as a full-service hotel with 66 rooms, many of which overlook the shores of Lake Superior.

Landmark Inn
Former names
  • Hotel Northland
  • Heritage House
  • Old Marquette Inn
General information
LocationMarquette, Michigan
Address230 North Front Street
Coordinates46.545°N 87.392°W / 46.545; -87.392
Construction started1917
Completed1930
Opened1930
Renovated1995–97
OwnerGraves Hospitality Management
Height6 stories
Design and construction
ArchitectSamuel Shackford Otis[1]
Website
thelandmarkinn.com

History

Building plans and concept work on the hotel started in June 1916 and were overseen by Samuel Shackford Otis.[2] Construction on Hotel Northland began with foundation pouring in 1920 but was quickly halted due to lack of funding.[2] After George Shiras III and the stockholders of the Kambawgam Hotel Co.[3] had raised the $35,0000 (equivalent to $422,000 in 2020[4]) necessary to build the hotel, construction resumed 12 years later on April 1, 1929. [5] Hotel Northland officially opened to guests on January 2, 1930.[2]

Through the 1970s, the hotel fell into a severe state of disrepair. The deterioration of the building and a series of rapid name changes (including "Heritage House" in the mid-1970s and "Old Marquette Inn" in 1978) ultimately lead to its closure in 1982, after which it was considered abandoned.[2][5]

In 1995, the hotel property was purchased by Christine and Bruce Pesola for (equivalent to $163,000 in 2020[4])[5] and in that same year, a complete renovation of the building began.[2] After renovation efforts were finished in 1997, the newly restored hotel was reopened as the Landmark Inn.[6]

Throughout its history, the hotel has hosted many celebrities and historical figures including: Amelia Earhart in 1932, Abbott & Costello in 1942, astronaut Jerry Lineger,[2] and Maya Angelou.[7] The hotel also hosted the cast and crew of the film Anatomy of a Murder, including James Stewart and Lee Remick during filming in 1959.

The hotel building is claimed by many guests and former staff to be a haunted location. Several public websites document claims of a variety of paranormal experiences, particularly in rooms on the south end of the building on the sixth floor as well as room 502.[8]

Current Use

The hotel has been owned by Graves Hospitality Management since 2015.[9] The Landmark Inn operates 66 rooms, many of which are now named in coordination to the celebrities and historical figures that have stayed in each respective room. For a number of years, the Landmark Inn was a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.[10]

References
  1. "Samuel S. Otis, Architect & Engineer (firm), Roster Questionnaire, 1946" (PDF). The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects. The American Institute of Architects Archives.
  2. "Learn About Our Historic Michigan Hotel". Landmark Inn. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. "Don Hutson Sues Hotel in Marquette fort $100,00". The Escanaba Daily Press. Associated Press. March 23, 1949. p. 14.
  4. Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2022). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved February 12, 2022. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  5. Mattson, Darcia (May 22, 2007). "Landmark celebrates 10th anniversary". Marquette Monthly. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  6. Counts, Jeff (2011). An Explorer's Guide: Michigan (2nd ed.). Woodstock, Vermont: Countryman Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-88150-949-6.
  7. "The Landmark Inn". Haunted Rooms. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  8. "Landmark Inn". Folklore & Haunted Locations Guide: Marquette, Michigan. Ghost Quest. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  9. "New Ownership at the Landmark Inn in Marquette". Editorial. The Mining Journal. Marquette, Michigan. March 9, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  10. "Landmark Inn, a Historic Hotels of America member". Historic Hotels of America. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
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