Whitcomb Hotel
Old postcard of the 1928 hotel
Whitcomb Hotel
Whitcomb Hotel is located in Michigan
Whitcomb Hotel
Location within Michigan
Interactive map
General information
LocationSaint Joseph, Michigan
Coordinates42°6′39″N 86°28′54″W / 42.11083°N 86.48167°W / 42.11083; -86.48167
OpeningMay 3, 1928
OwnerPrivate Investment Group
Technical details
Floor count7
Floor area115,000 square feet (10,683.8 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Pond, Pond, Martin and Lloyd
Other information
Number of rooms134
Number of restaurants1
Parking40
Website
www.whitcombretirement.com
Whitcomb Hotel
Built1927 (1927)
NRHP reference No.100007206[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 24, 2021

The Whitcomb Hotel, located in St. Joseph, Michigan, was a renowned hotel in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries known for its mineral spa and panoramic views of Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River. It is now a four-star senior living community. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.[1]

History

Mansion House

The Mansion House was the first hotel built at this site on top of the bluff in St. Joseph[2] in 1831. Awed by the panoramic view, August Newell built a rough log cabin lodging house. The moniker "Mansion House" was supposedly intentional sarcasm, as it was not a mansion nor much of a house, but the views were spectacular.[3] The Mansion House became a popular stagecoach stop between Chicago and Detroit. The building was torn down in 1866 and replaced by the St. Charles Hotel.[4]

St. Charles Hotel

Charles Krieger tore down the Mansion House and built the St. Charles Hotel, which opened to the public in 1868. Upon construction, it was deemed "the biggest and most beautiful (hotel) in the area".[5] The St. Charles and other new hotels in the area helped to cement St. Joseph as a tourist destination. The St. Charles Hotel changed hands several times over the years.

Hotel Whitcomb

In the 1880s, steamship traffic on Lake Michigan continued to grow, transporting both cargo and passengers. In 1889, the Detroit & Cleveland Steam Navigation Company (D&C) started to run two round-trips per day between Chicago and St. Joseph. This created new potential for tourism as Chicago residents escaped the city for relaxing views of the lake. An enterprising general agent for the D&C named C.D. Whitcomb purchased the St. Charles Hotel. It is unknown whether this was with his own money or with company funds. The hotel was refurbished and renamed the Hotel Whitcomb.[6]

Mineral Baths

In 1905, the Hotel Whitcomb discovered it had more to offer than just great views. There had been Native American legends of foul-smelling gas rising from cracks in the ground near the hotel. Geologists confirmed there was an underground sulfur spring in the area and the Hotel Whitcomb began piping the water into its own mineral baths. This extra amenity attracted even more tourists from around the country. So much so that a "moving staircase" was constructed to take people up the bluff from the ferry landing. It cost a penny to ride it.[7]

The New Whitcomb Hotel

By 1927, the original 1868 structure had begun to show its age. In just six weeks, several prominent merchants in the area raised $1 million to build a new hotel.[8] Jane Addams, who vacationed in the area, recommended the Chicago-based Pond Brothers. Modeled after Mediterranean resorts, the neo-Tudor design was an L-shaped seven-story structure with a square tower at the corner, capped by a bell-cast copper cupola.[9] The brick exterior has trim of white stone. The original hotel has 225 rooms, dining space for 800, a sunken garden and a 60 tub bathhouse. It opened on May 3, 1928 to much fanfare.

The Whitcomb

Renovated in the early 1970s, the Whitcomb Hotel has now become "The Whitcomb," a four-star senior living community.[10] It is one of Southwestern Michigan's most coveted retirement communities where St. Joe's history continues to shine.

Famous Guests

The Whitcomb Hotels (both old and new) have hosted a variety of famous people over the years.

References

  1. 1 2 "Weekly List 2021 11 26". National Park Service. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  2. ↑ Arent Cawley, Sherry (November 27, 2000). Berrien County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 51. ASIN B009CCX5YK.
  3. ↑ Markovich, Joe (March 1, 1986). "St. Joseph Hotel History". Berrien County Michigan Genealogy.
  4. ↑ Arent Cawley, Sherry (November 27, 2000). Berrien County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 51. ASIN B009CCX5YK.
  5. ↑ Arent Cawley, Sherry (November 27, 2000). Berrien County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 51. ASIN B009CCX5YK.
  6. ↑ Hilton, George Woodman (August 22, 2002). Lake Michigan Passenger Steamers. Stanford University Press. p. 115. ISBN 0804742405.
  7. ↑ Arent Cawley, Sherry (November 27, 2000). Berrien County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 51. ASIN B009CCX5YK.
  8. ↑ Knapp, Carol. "Whitcomb will celebrate 71years". The Herald-Palladium. Paxton Media Group.
  9. ↑ Eckert, Kathryn Bishop. "WHITCOMB RETIREMENT RESIDENCE (WHITCOMB TOWER RETIREMENT CENTER, WHITCOMB HOTEL)". Society of Architectural Historians.
  10. ↑ "Whitcomb History". Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  11. ↑ McCarthy, Michael (October 7, 2014). Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland and the Shipwreck That Shook America. Lyons Press. p. 90. ISBN 0762793287.
  12. ↑ Ashcroft, Brent. "St. Valentine's Day Massacre: Tale of two guns". WZZM Channel 13. WZZM. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  13. ↑ Ast III, William (April 17, 2005). "A 'Bellow' against the decline of almost everything". The Herald-Palladiam. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "Girls of Summer (2020)". IMDB. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
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