Kemah Cottage

Archive

-

Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Kemah Cottage

Entry/Object ID

2021.87.77

Scope and Content

The Local Observer newspaper Remembering When - Our History article titled "Building of Kemah Cottage" July 26, 2006. By Jack Sheridan, Jim Schmiechen and Rob Carey. Digital files use to create this article and associated resources at 2021.72.02

Context

Building of Kemah Cottage Perched on the Allegan hill high above the Kalamazoo River, the cottage name is derived from an Indian word that means “in the teeth of the wind.” Like many house-stories, that of Kemah is both complicated and interesting. It is a mirror of sophisticated “cottage” building the early half of the 20th century, and most recently an example of first-rate historic restoration/preservation. The famous Chicago architect Thomas Eddy Tallmadge designed the original cottage for a Chicago family in 1906. It was radically reconstructed twenty years later by Saugatuck’s premier architect/painter of the time—Carl Hoerman—for William and Alys Springer, also of Chicago. As the story goes, Mrs. Springer had plenty of money to spend. This reconstruction was spread out over 6 years. The end result was one of Michigan’s best designed and finely crafted houses of the period. Although Mrs. Springer’s correspondence suggests that they were good friends (even traveling companions), photographs from the period suggest a bit of artistic tension between Hoerman who was an Arts & Crafts guy and the very young Mrs. Springer who leaned more toward 1920s-30s Hollywood style (take a look at the photos in the current Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Museum exhibition). Hoerman drew upon Arts & Crafts, Prairie and Art Nouveau forms—with some references to the English Cotswold’s and his own Bavarian roots. The house features a grand porte-cochere, a colonnaded porch, a “false-thatched” roof, several very interesting fireplaces, fine Prairie-style stained glass windows, hand-carved doors, tile floors, and a German rathskeller. To top it off, a cavern (“rockery”) was carved into the hillside and made into a sitting room of stalactites, mushroom rock shaped tables, rock formations to show erosive action, a waterfall—and copies of Indian pictographs drawn on the walls, patterned after Indian dance rituals! The current owners have restored the exterior and interior (including furnishings) in the exquisite Arts & Crafts manner Hoerman would certainly approve of. Kemah remains an important part of the visual attraction of Saugatuck and Douglas area and a testimony to the value of historic preservation. For more on Kemah, come along to a talk by one of Kemah’s owners, Danny Esterline, as part of the “Tuesday Talks” series at the Saugatuck-Douglas Museum (the “Pump House”) at 11 on August 1. Or simply hit the museum exhibit “Raising the Roof” and check out the “Kemah Story” and photographs. By Jim Schmeichen

Collection

Remembering When

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2021.87

Source or Donor

Sheridan, John "Jack" O. 1938-

Acquisition Method

Donation

Location

* Untyped Location

Digital data in CatalogIt

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Carey, Rob 1928-2019, Sheridan, John "Jack" O. 1938-, Schmiechen, James A., Tallmadge, Thomas Eddy 1876-1940, Hoerman, Carl 1885-1955, Springer, William J. 1883-1941, Esterline, Danny, Kemah Cottage b.1906-, Kemah Cottage b.1906-

Related Publications

Publication

Local Observer

Create Date

January 1, 2022

Update Date

May 30, 2025