Michillinda Lodge
| Michillinda Lodge | |
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The exterior of the main lodge in August 2011
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 Location within Michigan
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| Former names | MICH-ILL-INDA, Michillinda Beach Tavern, Michillinda Beach Lodge |
| Etymology | MICHigan, ILLinois, INDianA |
| General information | |
| Type | Summer resort |
| Address | 5207 Scenic Drive |
| Town or city | Whitehall, Michigan |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 43°21′3.69″N 86°24′42.96″W / 43.3510250°N 86.4119333°W |
| Completed | 1904 (main lodge) |
| Opened | 1894 (residential beach association) 1920 (resort) |
| Destroyed | December 2, 2012 (main lodge) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Floor area | 13,000 square feet (1,200 m2) |
| Grounds | 22 acres (8.9 ha) |
| Other information | |
| Seating type | Dining room |
| Seating capacity | 200 |
| Number of units | 18 (main lodge) 26 (total after the fire) |
| Website | |
| michillindalodge |
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| References | |
Michillinda Lodge (previously MICH-ILL-INDA, the Michillinda Beach Tavern, and Michillinda Beach Lodge) is a summer resort on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Whitehall, Michigan. Its current property was purchased in 1894 by a group of leaseholders and investors from Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana, and named "MICH-ILL-INDA" in reference to those states in 1902. Originally a residential beach association, in 1920 Emanuel "Manny" Duttenhofer purchased an 18-room, 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) summer house on the site, which he subsequently opened as a resort.
Between 1920 and 2000, the Lodge was owned and operated by only three families—those of Duttenhofer and his sisters, Ray and Frances Johansen, and Don Eilers—and it developed slowly as both new buildings and activities were gradually debuted. In 2000, the Eilers family sold the Lodge to the investment group Promised Land LLC, which initially proposed the development of a "cottage community" on the site with 36 houses, cottages, and townhouses, although its plan was ultimately rejected by local officials.
On December 2, 2012, the original lodge was completely destroyed in a fire. No one was injured and none of Michillinda's other buildings were severely damaged, although the total losses were estimated in the "millions" of dollars. After being sold to Parkland Properties and developer Jon Rooks in September 2013, Michillinda Lodge reopened to the public in October 2013. As of January 2014, the resort's future directions are still undecided: while plans for rebuilding the lodge on its former footprint have been proposed, the redevelopment of the surviving buildings into either single-family "site condominiums" or weekly vacation rentals are also possibilities.
Since the fire, Michillinda Lodge consists of nine buildings offering 26 guest units in total. The resort positions itself as both family-oriented and historic in nature, and it includes numerous on-site amenities, ranging from an outdoor swimming pool and a miniature golf course to a campfire and a 400-foot (120 m) private beach on Lake Michigan. Additionally, Michillinda Lodge accommodates weddings and receptions, as well as reunions and other gatherings. Before the restaurant in the main lodge was destroyed in the fire, it provided dining for both resort guests and the general public.
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Wikipedia