Charlevoix sits between Lake Michigan and Round Lake, and its architecture tells a big story in small-town blocks. The town’s most talked-about work belongs to self-taught builder Earl Young, who designed more than two dozen homes and several commercial buildings from 1919 into the 1970s. Young built with massive fieldstones and boulders he collected from Northern Michigan landscapes, creating the whimsical homes known as the “mushroom houses.”
These houses stand out for thick stone walls paired with swooping cedar-shake roofs and undulating eaves. Many of the best-known examples cluster around Park Avenue and Clinton Street. Visitors spot the Mushroom House at Grant and Clinton streets, along with Boulder Manor, the Owl House, and the Half House. The homes are privately owned, so the right way to study the details is from the sidewalk, using a self-guided walking tour route.
Young’s stonework also shows up in local gathering places. Stafford’s Weathervane Restaurant and Weathervane Terrace Inn feature massive fireplaces and sculptural masonry that highlight what hand-laid stone can do in commercial spaces.
Outside town, Castle Farms brings a different masonry look. Built in 1918 by Sears executive Albert Loeb and designed by architect Arthur Heun, it started as a model dairy farm. Inspired by Normandy stone farm buildings, the property includes turrets, courtyards, and thick masonry walls. The restored complex sits on the National Register of Historic Places and welcomes visitors to tour gardens, exhibits, and the dramatic stonework.
Downtown Charlevoix rounds out the tour with the Charlevoix Central Historic District near Bridge Street and Round Lake. Brick storefronts, historic hotels, and early commercial buildings underline a simple point for mason contractors and preservation crews: when communities invest in durable materials, the results keep paying off for generations.
Read the full, original article from MyNorth.com here.