- City:
- Ludington, MI
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Lodges, Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
- Completed:
- 1935
Description
This Lake Michigan Beach House in Ludington State Park was built by the CCC. Under the direction of the National Park Service, the CCC built roads, retaining walls, campgrounds, hiking trails, the park’s headquarters, and the Lake Michigan Beach House. Designed by renowned NPS architect Ralph B. Herrick, the one-of-a-kind, arts-and-crafts-style Beach House is regarded as the crown jewel of Michigan’s park system.
The CCC Boys hand dug the foundation, water system, and septic field for the 116-foot building. A deal struck with the Morton Salt Company in the nearby town of Ludington had the CCC tear down a derelict salt mill in exchange for salvaged materials. The Corps carefully reclaimed the rust- colored bricks and massive, rough-sawn, white pine beams to build the two-story Beach House.
Time and weather took their toll on the 1935 landmark. In 1999 the state undertook a $1.6 million restoration of the iconic building. Reconstruction began in 2012. The interior was gutted and a new wood shingle roof was installed. The exterior— sandblasted over decades by the fierce Lake Michigan winds—was refurbished with new bricks and mortar carefully chosen to match the original.
The upper floor, which had been subdivided, was restored to one large room. The original stone fireplace still occupies the south end. Doors on three sides lead to a veranda and patio. In place of the original changing rooms, there’s now a café and gift shop. New signage along the beach walk interprets the geology of Lake Michigan and some of the largest freshwater sand dunes in the world.
Ludington State Park has grown to 5,300 acres and receives nearly a million visitors annually. The Lake Michigan Beach House was added to the National Register of Historic Places this year. A display honoring the men of the CCC who built the state park soon will be installed in the beautiful Beach House they constructed.
Source notes
Information from Susan Ives. https://www.visitludington.com/statepark/stories/ludington_state_park_beach_houseSite originally submitted by Susan Ives on October 22, 2013.
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Kay Riggle
Jamie Knutson
I have been looking for information on the history of the wooden toboggan run that was build in the early days of Ludington, MI State Park. I had older aunts that told me stories of the run. When I was young in the 1940’s it wasn’t used anymore but we used to walk on it in the summer over a small lake that was filled with water lilies.
My mom and uncle also walked the old wooden toboggan run built by the ccc boys. They remember walking to it through the middle camp ground and that there was a playground at the beginning of the run. They have found no one who remembers this and even told the story to the park rangers who had never heard this before!