The Landmark Inn is a historic hotel on Front Street in downtown

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is the county seat of Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Marquette is a major port known primarily for shippin ...

. 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 Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

History

Building plans and concept work on the hotel started in June 1916 and were overseen by Samuel Shackford Otis. Construction on Hotel Northland began with foundation pouring in 1920 but was quickly halted due to lack of funding. After George Shiras III and the stockholders of the Kambawgam Hotel Co. had raised the $35,000 (equivalent to $ in ) necessary to build the hotel, construction resumed 12 years later on April 1, 1929. Hotel Northland officially opened to guests on January 2, 1930. It operated as a full-service hotel with 100 rooms until the 1970s, when it started falling apart. The hotel finally closed in 1982. 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. In 1995, the hotel property was purchased by Christine and Bruce Pesola for $103,000 (equivalent to $ in ) and in that same year, a complete renovation of the building began. After renovation efforts were finished in 1997, the newly restored hotel was reopened as the Landmark Inn. In 1997 it was the first Michigan Hotel to be awarded membership in the Historic Hotels of America.

Popular culture

This

boutique hotel Boutique hotels are small-capacity Hotel, hotels that provide more personalized service than typical hotels. They typically have fewer than a hundred rooms, and are considered more "trendy" and "intimate", often due to their location in urban ar ...

amalgamates modern comfort with "old-world elegance" in downtown Marquette. It offers

views within a short walk to bars, restaurants. entertainment and museums. There are rooms named after the celebrities and historical figures who were guests. In 2002,

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

gathered there before the funeral of their road manager. Throughout its history, the hotel has hosted many celebrities and historical figures:

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

in 1932,

Abbott & Costello Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in t ...

in 1942, comedian

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

, band leader

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

(see Mather Inn), Governor

John Engler John Mathias Engler (born October 12, 1948) is an American politician, lawyer, businessman, and lobbyist who served as the 46th governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003. Considered one of the country's top lobbyists, he is a member of the Republi ...

, astronaut Jerry M. Linenger, Amelia Earhardt and

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

. The hotel also hosted the cast and crew of the film ''

Anatomy of a Murder ''Anatomy of a Murder'' is a 1959 American legal drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under ...

'' during filming in 1959. The hotel is reported to be haunted.

Current use

The hotel has been owned by Graves Hospitality Management since 2015. 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 Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program identifies hotels in the United States that have maintained authenticity, sense of place, and a ...

, the official program of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

; the hotel left the program in 2016. Winter evenings are described as "cozy" by the

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

" with a "an oversized live

fir tree Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

in its Grand Lobby and candlelit New Year’s Eve dinners."

References

External links

* {{Hotels in Michigan Buildings and structures in Marquette, Michigan Hotels in Michigan Hotel buildings completed in 1930 Hotels established in 1930 Historic Hotels of America