CHARLEVOIX MUSHROOM HOUSES – ALL HOBBITS WELCOME to MICHIGAN

You don’t have to fly to New Zealand to experience Hobbiton. The charming town Charlevoix in Michigan boasts its collection of mushroom houses, which will transport you to Middle Earth. Charlevoix, Northern Michigan, is a tourist destination that draws tourists from all over the globe to see the hobbit homes that have existed since the Great Depression. Ever wondered what it would feel like to walk through Hobbiton in The Lord of the Rings? Charlevoix is one of the most visited spots in Michigan, thanks to its Earl Young Mushroom house.

Charlevoix Mushroom Houses Michigan

Charlevoix, Michigan, can be reached 4 hours from Detroit or 2 hours from Sault Ste—Marie in Ontario, Canada.

Charlevoix Historical Society

The Charlevoix Historical Museum was where our tour began. Here we viewed historical photos and other artifacts. Hemingway’s original marriage certificate with Hadley Richardson, his first wife, was a unique piece of nostalgia.

The museum is located in a historical building. Harsha House was constructed in 1891 and transformed into a museum by the National Trust in 1979. This is a great place to start your walking tour through the mushroom homes built by Earl A. Young.

Earl Young Houses Of Charlevoix

The Charlevoix mushroom houses began to form in 1924 when Earl Young, a local designer, purchased Bartholomew’s, Boulder Park. He started work on Boulder Manor, his first mushroom home design, only three years later.

Boulder Manor

Boulder Manor, located along Lakeshore Drive, was Earl Young’s private residence. Young nearly finished it when the Great Depression struck, but construction was stopped by Young, who lost his manor in 1929.

However, he did regain it in 1937 and completed the stunning Boulder Manor transformation into a gorgeous mid-century modern design in the early 1940s.

Hobbit Homes In Michigan

Earl Young was responsible for 30 unique homes built over 54 years. Charlevoix still has 28 of these buildings. In recent years, many people have visited Charlevoix to tour the fantastic structures.

For a small fee, you can purchase a museum guidebook and go on your own to tour the houses. We recommend booking a guided tour with museum staff to get insider information and personal stories. We enjoyed learning all about the history and works of Earl Young.

It is easy to walk along the streets. We were shocked to discover that private citizens own and maintain Earl Young mushroom houses. We needed to respect their daily lives, so we stayed off the property. Instead, we could enjoy the view from the road.

304 Park Avenue – Our Favorite Mushroom House

Earl Young’s first mushroom house was our favorite. Although this house was built before Earl Young purchased the Boulder Manor land, it is very close to his Charlevoix homes.

Strangely, 304 Park Avenue looks different from his original design. It was built in 1919 before he began his mushroom trend. It was remodeled in 2015 to make it look more like a mushroom than the other houses in the neighborhood.

It is a controversial topic that locals love and hate. We are in the latter camp. We had hoped for this when we thought about Michigan Hobbit Houses. Frodo was half expecting me to come out and offer me another breakfast.

Half-house

The Half House is the best example of a Hobbit House. It looked like it had been taken straight from Hobbiton. But this is the real deal. It has yet to be modified or redesigned.

The 1947 construction of the half-house is still in the same condition as its original design. It is known as the Half House. It looks like a house split in half when you look at it.

Mushroom House

We explored many more Earl Young homes as we continued down the tree-lined street. The original Mushroom House was first to be noticed by tourists. It was built in 1954. Young designed it to look like a giant button mushroom.

This house was Charlevoix’s most photographed until it was renovated into 304 Park Avenue. They are very conscious of this and have put much more landscaping in front of their home in recent years to keep tourists away.

306 Park Avenue

This house is right next to the remodeled one. Although it looks less impressive than the modern mushroom, it is still relatively large. It is obvious how large it is once one walks along the street to the side and sees the steps that lead down from the hill.

Earl Young made this his second private residence. It is easy to see why. The stone layers blend perfectly with the landscape.

Young’s method of layering stones in curved designs is evident in this home, which includes stone fireplaces and shingle roofs that blend seamlessly with the landscape.

Abide – A Beautiful Charlevoix House

The tiny house at the corner looks like nature is overtaking it. It was designed to blend into the surrounding landscape. Young used the landscape and surroundings around him similarly to Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs.

This house was built in 1938 and took Young’s concept of building around nature to new heights. The trees and land surrounding it seem part of the house.

This Earl Young Mushroom house is a fairytale-like wonderland. The only thing that needs to be added is the thatch roof and some hobbits.

Sucher House

On our guided tour, the Sucher House was the last house we visited. This is Young’s largest mushroom house and was built to honor Speedway 79 CEO. There is a lot of stone fencing around the area. This house is an excellent example of the quintessential Young design.

Owl House

Unsurprisingly, the Earl Young Mushroom Homes of Charlevoix draw visitors from all over the globe.

These architectural designs are masterpieces of art. Even more impressive is the fact that Earl Young was self-taught. Earl Young needed formal education and built his homes by riding horseback and using materials he collected from Lake Michigan.

It is rare to find so many unique structures in the same place. You could undoubtedly visit Hobbiton, New Zealand. But that’s just fantasy. It’s a movie set. Charlevoix’s mushroom homes are a testament to the man’s 50-year service.