Earl Young (architect)
Encyclopedia
Earl A. Young was an American architect, realtor and insurance agent. Over a span of 52 years, he designed and built 31 structures in Charlevoix, Michigan
but was never a registered architect
. He worked mostly in stone
, using limestone
, fieldstone
, and boulder
s he found throughout Northern Michigan
. The homes are commonly referred to as gnome
homes, mushroom houses
, or Hobbit houses. His door, window, roof and fireplace designs were very distinct because of his use of curved lines. Young's goal was to show that a small stone house could be as impressive as a castle. Young also helped make Charlevoix the busy, summer resort town that it is today.
in 1889 to parents Adolf and Myrtie Young. He moved to Charlevoix at 11 years old where his father set up an insurance business. As a teenager, Young was interested in photography and taught himself photofinishing
. He took many photos in Charlevoix, of both the city and the woods. In high school, he was on the skating team and the track team. During his senior year, Young was coeditor of his school's newspaper with Irene Harsha, who would later become his wife. In 1908, he enrolled in the School of Architecture
at the University of Michigan
. He was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright
's idea that buildings should respect their surroundings. Young was discouraged by the classic Greek, Roman
, and Victorian architecture
he was learning about and left school after only one year.
That was the last time Young would have any formal schooling. He joined his family's insurance business, which soon expanded to include realty. For the rest of his life, he would say he was a realtor and would tell people that he had held his realtor's license for 60 years. In the same building as the insurance agency, Young also ran a photofinishing business and sold bread. During this time, he continued to learn about architecture and construction by reading books and magazines and talking to construction workers and stonemasons
. On February 14, 1914, Myrtie Young died and Earl was left alone in the family business.
On September 21, 1915, Young married Irene Harsha, his high school sweetheart. He joked that he married her to "keep her on his staff." Over the next 11 years their family grew to include four children: Drew, Marguerite, Louise, and Virginia.
Young developed some bad habits very early and they continued with him throughout his career. He was a difficult architect to deal with. He never made blueprint
s; workers were lucky to get a rough sketch that was refined by Irene. Young also never thought about practicality, making very short doorways and kitchens like hallways. He was an on-the-spot designer and said the stones spoke to him. When asked which building was his favorite, Young would always respond, "The next one."
for years. He believed that these houses could be mixed up and put back on any plot of land with no consequences. He wanted to build homes that fit into their landscape following a philosophy shared by Frank Lloyd Wright. From 1918 to 1921, he worked on his first building at 304 Park Avenue. It was built mostly of stone with a few wooden details and an Arts and Crafts
influence. This home respected the contours of the land and contained the first of his celebrated stone fireplaces. He built it for his family to live in.
In 1920, he built a new insurance office for himself. It was called the Apple Tree Building after the tree that grew behind it. The building had to be removed in 2003, but the fireplace was saved.
Young bought a large piece of land on Lake Michigan
from Mary Bartholomew in 1924. He partitioned the land into 85 lots, only three of which were rectangular, and began advertising it as Boulder Park. Lots started at $100 and the first floor of any house that was built had to be made of stone, brick, or stucco. Young designed and built ten homes in Boulder Park, although it is a common misconception that he built all of the homes there since many homeowners had their houses commissioned "in the style of" Earl Young.
From 1927 to 1930, he worked on a house with green mortar
between the stones. It was heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and was the first of Young's homes to have a deemphasized, almost hidden entryway. At the same time, he worked on a house made of rough stone with his first remarkable chimney; the chimney seemed to be made of randomly placed stones and the top of it appeared to be frosted with snow. Both homes have a door and stairs that face the road but no walkway that leads to them.
The next home Young built resembled an English cottage. It was built between 1928 and 1929 with flat white stones and white mortar. Its rolled eaves are the first clue to the undulating roofs Young would later construct.
From 1929 to 1930, Young built two homes. The first was made mostly of stones with red mortar between them. The stucco
gable
s playfully have eight stones "tossed" into them. This is the only home he built without a sheltered entrance. The second of the two homes has a distinct Swiss chalet
influence.
In 1930, Herman Panama commissioned a home made of cobblestone
from Young. The house is called The Norman Panama
House after Herman Panama's son, a Hollywood producer, writer, and director. Local legend has it that the house was a place written in and about in some his films, such as White Christmas
.
Young designed a home called The Owl House, which was constructed from 1930 to 1931. The house was made entirely of granite
. It received its name from the two round windows on its front that resemble eyes.
The Enchanted Cottage was built next. It is the only structure that Young built but did not design. This is evident because the house has many straight lines and right angles, unlike Young's other homes. Mr. and Mrs. Cross convinced Young to build the house based on House Pattern 357 from Ladies' Home Journal
(which at the time was a leader, along with other home-centered magazines, in popularizing architects and architectural plans). He gave it his own touch with a stone exterior and a slight change to the dormer windows.
Soon after, he bought The Golden Rule, a sailboat, from a friend. Young convinced the Coast Guard
to haul it out in front Boulder Park and beach it. Its only purpose was to act as a conversation piece, although, Lake Michigan's rough summer waves and harsh icy winters soon demolished the boat.
Young's next home was The Pagoda House, finished in 1935. Constructed of limestone, it had Oriental
, Gothic
and Swiss
influences. This was the last home he built in Boulder Park.
hit and Young had to sell the unfinished house to the bank.
For many years he worked on other homes and on December 9, 1937, he regained possession of Boulder Manor, finishing it in 1939. The fireplace is composed of six massive boulders that form a trapezoid
-shaped mantel. The front of the house is dominated by an arch
ed window that gives a spectacular view of Lake Michigan. One stone on the south side of the house juts up into the vinyl siding, fusing the two materials together to create one cohesive building.
Around this time, Young convinced the community to demolish buildings that blocked the view of Round Lake from Bridge Street. The four block area was turned into a park that is still enjoyed today.
In 1943, Tide Beside Abide — or Betide — was constructed. It sits far back from Park Avenue and drops down the back of the hill. This makes the home look three times smaller from the front than it actually is.
In 1945, Young constructed a cottage across from Abide. It had a thatched roof
imported from Europe, whitewash
ed stones, and dark wood. The roof was later changed to shingles to make maintenance easier, and the whitewash was removed from the stones.
When Young's children moved out, he built a new home for himself and Irene at 306 Park Avenue. The house is made of Onaway stone and the roof mimics the swells of the hills surrounding it. The fireplace is composed of more Onaway stone and the horizontal and vertical pieces come together to make two diagonal lines. Diagonal lines on fireplaces proved to become more pronounced on his later buildings. Young lived here for almost 30 years.
Young's smallest building, Half House, was finished in 1947. It has a steep, wavy roof and stops flat on the East side with a high chimney.
The next home was created for Speedway 79 founder William Sucher in 1948. Young walked the land with Sucher and his wife and at one spot stopped and told them: "From this spot I want you to see one third sky, one third water, and one third grass." This type of behavior was not unusual for Young.
In 1951, Young built what is now the most photographed home in Charlevoix, which the owner calls Boulderdash. It was modeled after a button mushroom. It is said that the exact square footage cannot be determined because the floor plan is so irregular. The boulder walls are three feet thick and the undulating roof had to be completed twice because the first time the shingles were put on in neat rows, not the chaotic, sweeping billows Young wanted. The lead glass
windows were originally in a Polish castle.
Between 1952 and 1962 Young remodeled three homes, usually adding stone to the fireplace and to the exterior of the homes. At the same time, he also constructed two homes, one of which was for the mayor of Charlevoix.
and Young felt the lines bisecting it looked like the highways crisscrossing through the land. An 18,260 pound stone The first time the boulder was put in place, the floor sank because it was so heavy. The roof of The Weathervane Inn mimics the outstretched wings of a seagull in flight. The gull motif is also found in fireplaces in The Weathervane compound and a few houses.
The Weathervane Lodge opened in August 1959. The square, two story building houses 37 units and is still in use today, but is known simply as The Lodge. At the time, it was the only two story motel with a passenger elevator. For the Weathervane Terrace Motel, Young seems to have drawn influence from nearby Castle Farms
, but he never admitted it. Young experienced financial difficulties during construction, but the motel was finished in 1965. The main fireplace features red, gold and black stone. The fireplace in the breakfast room is made of five huge stones that fit together like a perfect puzzle. Young sold off the Weathervane buildings in 1968 but retained his office for the rest of his life.
with very little stone on the exterior. The stairway was constructed with discs cut from a single log. The flamboyant main fireplace uses the same stylized gulls as The Weathervane, and includes artistic homage
s to local landmarks. A red sandstone house was built in 1969, and bulldozed in 1994. From 1970 to 1973 Young worked on The Castle House, his last completed design. Today, it has been incorporated into a much larger home but still retains its Earl Young flair.
One house was constructed outside of Charlevoix. After much pestering Young built the Suchers another house in Alma, Michigan
. It is made of Onaway stone and the fireplace is a full wall of diagonal lines.
In the 1930s Young dragged a 40 short tons (80,000 lb) boulder out in front of Boulder Park. Forty years later, he upended it where it sits today, proclaiming the beginning of Boulder Park.
.
era of architecture. This era is known for integrating nature into the houses, as Young always did. He would work around trees instead of cutting them down and wanted the houses to be a harmonious part of the landscape instead of destroying or overshadowing it. His architecture from this time features open, flowing floor plans and the beginning of post and beam structures
with light, glass walls. Many of Young's homes have open floor plans but the stone walls never feel delicate. Like other buildings from the period, the stone houses are less formal than their predecessors. This informality is mainly shown by the lack of straight lines. The largest difference between Young's homes and those of his contemporaries is who the houses are designed for. Other homes were built for the contemporary American family and their needs, but Young built only for himself. His awkward, hallway-like kitchens have been remodeled in many homes to make them more accommodating as they were unworkable, something that Young did not care about or understand. Young is often compared to Frank Lloyd Wright because of his integration with nature and his stubborn attitude, but critics have never formally compared the two architects.
Another influence deeply interwoven is Storybook-style architecture, which gained popularity in the 1920s. It "mimics rural European vernacular architecture
and often uses found or recycled material
(including architectural pieces recovered from the homes of Chicago lumber barons), or carefully weathered new material." The wavy roofs connected uneven rafter
s with lath
or sheathing, and multiple layers of cedar shakes
. "Another Storybook Style feature often employed by Young is the squat, cartoonish chimney
that appears to be sagging and dripping with gingerbread-house frosting."
There is no escaping that Young had an 'organic' relationship with the stones he used in his architecture: so much so that it was roofs and boulders that shaped his work. The result has been described as "lithotecture".
The Charlevoix Historical Society's Harsha House Museum, 103 State Street, has an Earl Young exhibit.
It is said that these are high maintenance houses, which require loving care and constant refurbishment.
Charlevoix, Michigan
Charlevoix is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,994. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County....
but was never a registered architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. He worked mostly in stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
, using limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, fieldstone
Fieldstone
Fieldstone is a building construction material. Strictly speaking, it is stone collected from the surface of fields where it occurs naturally...
, and boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
s he found throughout Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
. The homes are commonly referred to as gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
homes, mushroom houses
Mushroom House
The Mushroom House or Pod House is a contemporary residence in the town of Perinton, New York which has been featured in television programs and books due to its whimsical appearance. Patterned after umbels of Queen's Anne's Lace, its brown color is more suggestive of mushrooms...
, or Hobbit houses. His door, window, roof and fireplace designs were very distinct because of his use of curved lines. Young's goal was to show that a small stone house could be as impressive as a castle. Young also helped make Charlevoix the busy, summer resort town that it is today.
Early life
Earl Young was born in Mancelona, MichiganMancelona, Michigan
Mancelona is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,408 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Mancelona Township.-History:...
in 1889 to parents Adolf and Myrtie Young. He moved to Charlevoix at 11 years old where his father set up an insurance business. As a teenager, Young was interested in photography and taught himself photofinishing
Photographic processing
Photographic processing is the chemical means by which photographic film and paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image...
. He took many photos in Charlevoix, of both the city and the woods. In high school, he was on the skating team and the track team. During his senior year, Young was coeditor of his school's newspaper with Irene Harsha, who would later become his wife. In 1908, he enrolled in the School of Architecture
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
The A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the built environment at the University of Michigan. Formerly known as the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Taubman College gained the namesake of real estate developer and...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
's idea that buildings should respect their surroundings. Young was discouraged by the classic Greek, Roman
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted certain aspects of Ancient Greek architecture, creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions, such as hydraulics...
, and Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
he was learning about and left school after only one year.
That was the last time Young would have any formal schooling. He joined his family's insurance business, which soon expanded to include realty. For the rest of his life, he would say he was a realtor and would tell people that he had held his realtor's license for 60 years. In the same building as the insurance agency, Young also ran a photofinishing business and sold bread. During this time, he continued to learn about architecture and construction by reading books and magazines and talking to construction workers and stonemasons
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
. On February 14, 1914, Myrtie Young died and Earl was left alone in the family business.
On September 21, 1915, Young married Irene Harsha, his high school sweetheart. He joked that he married her to "keep her on his staff." Over the next 11 years their family grew to include four children: Drew, Marguerite, Louise, and Virginia.
Young developed some bad habits very early and they continued with him throughout his career. He was a difficult architect to deal with. He never made blueprint
Blueprint
A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term "blueprint" has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan....
s; workers were lucky to get a rough sketch that was refined by Irene. Young also never thought about practicality, making very short doorways and kitchens like hallways. He was an on-the-spot designer and said the stones spoke to him. When asked which building was his favorite, Young would always respond, "The next one."
First homes
Earl Young had been studying the houses in Charlevoix CountyCharlevoix County, Michigan
-Airports:*Beaver Island is served by two airlines:**Welke Airport**Beaver Island Airport-Ferry service:*Beaver Island Boat Company maintains a regular auto ferry from Charlevoix:*The Ironton Ferry at Ironton, Michigan crosses the south arm of Lake Charlevoix...
for years. He believed that these houses could be mixed up and put back on any plot of land with no consequences. He wanted to build homes that fit into their landscape following a philosophy shared by Frank Lloyd Wright. From 1918 to 1921, he worked on his first building at 304 Park Avenue. It was built mostly of stone with a few wooden details and an Arts and Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
influence. This home respected the contours of the land and contained the first of his celebrated stone fireplaces. He built it for his family to live in.
In 1920, he built a new insurance office for himself. It was called the Apple Tree Building after the tree that grew behind it. The building had to be removed in 2003, but the fireplace was saved.
Young bought a large piece of land on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
from Mary Bartholomew in 1924. He partitioned the land into 85 lots, only three of which were rectangular, and began advertising it as Boulder Park. Lots started at $100 and the first floor of any house that was built had to be made of stone, brick, or stucco. Young designed and built ten homes in Boulder Park, although it is a common misconception that he built all of the homes there since many homeowners had their houses commissioned "in the style of" Earl Young.
From 1927 to 1930, he worked on a house with green mortar
Mortar (masonry)
Mortar is a workable paste used to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them. The blocks may be stone, brick, cinder blocks, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure. Modern mortars are typically made from a mixture of sand, a binder...
between the stones. It was heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and was the first of Young's homes to have a deemphasized, almost hidden entryway. At the same time, he worked on a house made of rough stone with his first remarkable chimney; the chimney seemed to be made of randomly placed stones and the top of it appeared to be frosted with snow. Both homes have a door and stairs that face the road but no walkway that leads to them.
The next home Young built resembled an English cottage. It was built between 1928 and 1929 with flat white stones and white mortar. Its rolled eaves are the first clue to the undulating roofs Young would later construct.
From 1929 to 1930, Young built two homes. The first was made mostly of stones with red mortar between them. The stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s playfully have eight stones "tossed" into them. This is the only home he built without a sheltered entrance. The second of the two homes has a distinct Swiss chalet
Swiss chalet style
Swiss chalet style is an architectural style inspired by the chalets of Switzerland. The style originated in Germany in the early 19th century and was popular in parts of Europe and North America, notably in the architecture of Norway, the country house architecture of Sweden, Cincinnati, Ohio,...
influence.
In 1930, Herman Panama commissioned a home made of cobblestone
Cobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
from Young. The house is called The Norman Panama
Norman Panama
Norman Panama was an American screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois. He collaborated with a former schoolfriend, Melvin Frank to form a writing partnership which endured for three decades...
House after Herman Panama's son, a Hollywood producer, writer, and director. Local legend has it that the house was a place written in and about in some his films, such as White Christmas
White Christmas (film)
White Christmas is a 1954 Technicolor musical film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that features the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular "White Christmas"...
.
Young designed a home called The Owl House, which was constructed from 1930 to 1931. The house was made entirely of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. It received its name from the two round windows on its front that resemble eyes.
The Enchanted Cottage was built next. It is the only structure that Young built but did not design. This is evident because the house has many straight lines and right angles, unlike Young's other homes. Mr. and Mrs. Cross convinced Young to build the house based on House Pattern 357 from Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
(which at the time was a leader, along with other home-centered magazines, in popularizing architects and architectural plans). He gave it his own touch with a stone exterior and a slight change to the dormer windows.
Soon after, he bought The Golden Rule, a sailboat, from a friend. Young convinced the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
to haul it out in front Boulder Park and beach it. Its only purpose was to act as a conversation piece, although, Lake Michigan's rough summer waves and harsh icy winters soon demolished the boat.
Young's next home was The Pagoda House, finished in 1935. Constructed of limestone, it had Oriental
Japanese architecture
' originated in prehistoric times with simple pit-houses and stores that were adapted to a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han Dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial burial chambers....
, Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and Swiss
Swiss chalet style
Swiss chalet style is an architectural style inspired by the chalets of Switzerland. The style originated in Germany in the early 19th century and was popular in parts of Europe and North America, notably in the architecture of Norway, the country house architecture of Sweden, Cincinnati, Ohio,...
influences. This was the last home he built in Boulder Park.
Boulder Manor
Building Boulder Manor was considered the turning point in Earl Young's architecture career. It is the most well known home in Boulder Park. For years Young had saved boulders, both physically and mentally. He had the ability to remember the dimension and colors of hundred of boulders at the same time, over the span of many years. He dug up the boulders he liked, sometimes having to purchase them. He hid them underground, deep in the woods, or in Lake Michigan. Many of these boulders came together when he started building Boulder Manor for his family in the fall of 1928. He built a playhouse in the backyard which is basically a miniature replica of the main house. His daughters and their friends played inside while he oversaw work on the big house. The playhouse has a working fireplace and electricity. In 1929, however, the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
hit and Young had to sell the unfinished house to the bank.
For many years he worked on other homes and on December 9, 1937, he regained possession of Boulder Manor, finishing it in 1939. The fireplace is composed of six massive boulders that form a trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
-shaped mantel. The front of the house is dominated by an arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
ed window that gives a spectacular view of Lake Michigan. One stone on the south side of the house juts up into the vinyl siding, fusing the two materials together to create one cohesive building.
Later homes
Young purchased a triangular piece of land between Park Avenue, Grant Street, and Clinton Street. Many of his next houses were built either here or nearby. Abide was the first of these homes. It had even fewer straight lines than its predecessors, which was especially apparent in the roof. Young liked to say that he "built roofs and then shoved the houses underneath." Because he refused to cut down trees on the property, they looked like they grew around the house. Abide has Young's first fireplace made of Onaway stone.Around this time, Young convinced the community to demolish buildings that blocked the view of Round Lake from Bridge Street. The four block area was turned into a park that is still enjoyed today.
In 1943, Tide Beside Abide — or Betide — was constructed. It sits far back from Park Avenue and drops down the back of the hill. This makes the home look three times smaller from the front than it actually is.
In 1945, Young constructed a cottage across from Abide. It had a thatched roof
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
imported from Europe, whitewash
Whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a very low-cost type of paint made from slaked lime and chalk . Various other additives are also used...
ed stones, and dark wood. The roof was later changed to shingles to make maintenance easier, and the whitewash was removed from the stones.
When Young's children moved out, he built a new home for himself and Irene at 306 Park Avenue. The house is made of Onaway stone and the roof mimics the swells of the hills surrounding it. The fireplace is composed of more Onaway stone and the horizontal and vertical pieces come together to make two diagonal lines. Diagonal lines on fireplaces proved to become more pronounced on his later buildings. Young lived here for almost 30 years.
Young's smallest building, Half House, was finished in 1947. It has a steep, wavy roof and stops flat on the East side with a high chimney.
The next home was created for Speedway 79 founder William Sucher in 1948. Young walked the land with Sucher and his wife and at one spot stopped and told them: "From this spot I want you to see one third sky, one third water, and one third grass." This type of behavior was not unusual for Young.
In 1951, Young built what is now the most photographed home in Charlevoix, which the owner calls Boulderdash. It was modeled after a button mushroom. It is said that the exact square footage cannot be determined because the floor plan is so irregular. The boulder walls are three feet thick and the undulating roof had to be completed twice because the first time the shingles were put on in neat rows, not the chaotic, sweeping billows Young wanted. The lead glass
Lead glass
Lead glass is a variety of glass in which lead replaces the calcium content of a typical potash glass. Lead glass contains typically 18–40 weight% lead oxide , while modern lead crystal, historically also known as flint glass due to the original silica source, contains a minimum of 24% PbO...
windows were originally in a Polish castle.
Between 1952 and 1962 Young remodeled three homes, usually adding stone to the fireplace and to the exterior of the homes. At the same time, he also constructed two homes, one of which was for the mayor of Charlevoix.
The Weathervane
Young tore down an old mill to create The Weathervane Inn, which opened in 1955. The restaurant houses five fireplaces; the main one in the dining room is topped by a 18260 pounds (9 ST) boulder found by Young 26 years before. The boulder is similar in shape to Michigan's lower peninsulaLower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people...
and Young felt the lines bisecting it looked like the highways crisscrossing through the land. An 18,260 pound stone The first time the boulder was put in place, the floor sank because it was so heavy. The roof of The Weathervane Inn mimics the outstretched wings of a seagull in flight. The gull motif is also found in fireplaces in The Weathervane compound and a few houses.
The Weathervane Lodge opened in August 1959. The square, two story building houses 37 units and is still in use today, but is known simply as The Lodge. At the time, it was the only two story motel with a passenger elevator. For the Weathervane Terrace Motel, Young seems to have drawn influence from nearby Castle Farms
Castle Farms
Castle Farms is one of Michigan's largest special events facilities, and it is located in Charlevoix, Michigan. It was constructed in 1918 by Albert Loeb, who was the Vice President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and it was designed by Arthur Heun...
, but he never admitted it. Young experienced financial difficulties during construction, but the motel was finished in 1965. The main fireplace features red, gold and black stone. The fireplace in the breakfast room is made of five huge stones that fit together like a perfect puzzle. Young sold off the Weathervane buildings in 1968 but retained his office for the rest of his life.
Other projects
In 1967, Young started working on land that faced Round Lake. He called the area Thistle Down. The first home here was an A-frameA-Frame house
An A-frame is an architectural house style featuring steeply-angled sides that usually begin at or near the foundation line, and meet at the top in the shape of the letter A...
with very little stone on the exterior. The stairway was constructed with discs cut from a single log. The flamboyant main fireplace uses the same stylized gulls as The Weathervane, and includes artistic homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
s to local landmarks. A red sandstone house was built in 1969, and bulldozed in 1994. From 1970 to 1973 Young worked on The Castle House, his last completed design. Today, it has been incorporated into a much larger home but still retains its Earl Young flair.
One house was constructed outside of Charlevoix. After much pestering Young built the Suchers another house in Alma, Michigan
Alma, Michigan
Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,275 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905....
. It is made of Onaway stone and the fireplace is a full wall of diagonal lines.
In the 1930s Young dragged a 40 short tons (80,000 lb) boulder out in front of Boulder Park. Forty years later, he upended it where it sits today, proclaiming the beginning of Boulder Park.
Later life
Young went to his office everyday. He continued to find new boulders, sketch ideas and dream. At 86 years of age, he slipped on a patch of ice and broke his hip. Young passed away on May 24, 1975, at a medical facility in East Jordan, MichiganEast Jordan, Michigan
East Jordan is a city in Charlevoix County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,507 at the 2000 census.The city is at the end of the south arm of Lake Charlevoix, at the mouth of the Jordan River. M-66 connects with US 31 at Charlevoix about 12 miles to the northwest and with US...
.
Style
Young constructed homes during the Mid-Century modernMid-century modern
Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965...
era of architecture. This era is known for integrating nature into the houses, as Young always did. He would work around trees instead of cutting them down and wanted the houses to be a harmonious part of the landscape instead of destroying or overshadowing it. His architecture from this time features open, flowing floor plans and the beginning of post and beam structures
Post and lintel
Post and lintel, or in contemporary usage Post and beam, is a simple construction method using a lintel, header, or architrave as the horizontal member over a building void supported at its ends by two vertical columns, pillars, or posts...
with light, glass walls. Many of Young's homes have open floor plans but the stone walls never feel delicate. Like other buildings from the period, the stone houses are less formal than their predecessors. This informality is mainly shown by the lack of straight lines. The largest difference between Young's homes and those of his contemporaries is who the houses are designed for. Other homes were built for the contemporary American family and their needs, but Young built only for himself. His awkward, hallway-like kitchens have been remodeled in many homes to make them more accommodating as they were unworkable, something that Young did not care about or understand. Young is often compared to Frank Lloyd Wright because of his integration with nature and his stubborn attitude, but critics have never formally compared the two architects.
Another influence deeply interwoven is Storybook-style architecture, which gained popularity in the 1920s. It "mimics rural European vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
and often uses found or recycled material
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
(including architectural pieces recovered from the homes of Chicago lumber barons), or carefully weathered new material." The wavy roofs connected uneven rafter
Rafter
A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members , that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.-Design:...
s with lath
Lath
A lath is a thin, narrow strip of some straight-grained wood or other material, including metal or gypsum. A lattice, or lattice-work, is a criss-crossed or interlaced arrangement of laths, or the pattern made by such an arrangement...
or sheathing, and multiple layers of cedar shakes
Shake (shingle)
A shake is a basic wooden shingle that is made from split logs. Shakes have traditionally been used for roofing and siding applications around the world. Higher grade shakes are typically used for roofing purposes, while the lower grades are used for siding purposes...
. "Another Storybook Style feature often employed by Young is the squat, cartoonish chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
that appears to be sagging and dripping with gingerbread-house frosting."
There is no escaping that Young had an 'organic' relationship with the stones he used in his architecture: so much so that it was roofs and boulders that shaped his work. The result has been described as "lithotecture".
Tours and museum exhibits
In late July 2010, guided tours were available of some of Earl Young's houses. The tours were oversubscribed, and reservations are advised if and when the event recurs. Personal exterior-only tours are available, and it is possible to rent a few of these homes.The Charlevoix Historical Society's Harsha House Museum, 103 State Street, has an Earl Young exhibit.
It is said that these are high maintenance houses, which require loving care and constant refurbishment.
Further reading
- "A Guide to Earl Young Structures in Charlevoix, the Beautiful." Guided tour brochure available at the Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce office or Harsha House Museum. with links to numerous articles.
External links
- Earl Young houses at Flickr.com
- Video: Tour the Earl Young Hobbit Houses in Charlevoix at MyNorth.com
- Earl Young houses Park Avenue Prowl