Historic Lake Michigan retreat for ‘Girls’ Friendly Society’ listed for $1.5M

GLENN, MI – Lynette Colmey hopes the next owner of Sunset Lodge will enjoy it as much as she and her late husband– and hundreds of girls from Chicago before them – have for the last 112 years.

But the Chicago resident also recognizes the old house with a chapel and the bunk house on Lake Michigan beach will need a lot of love from the next owner if it is to survive as a family retreat and conference center.

“We’ve enjoyed sharing it in that way and would love to see it used in the future as a place for people to retreat and refresh,” says Colmey, who has listed the property at 1282 Fabun Road for $1.5 million with Realtor Nancy Stewart of Shoreline Realty of Douglas.

While the property’s 252 feet of Lake Michigan beach justifies the asking price, Stewart said they also are hoping to find a buyer who will keep the buildings intact and continue its tradition as a restful gathering place.

“This property would be a great place to make into a private residence or continue the business and take it to a new level,” says Stewart, who acknowledged the property has some “deferred maintenance items. “

Colmey and her late husband, Tom, bought the property in 1994 and operated it as a retreat center for families, corporate gatherings and even high school football teams.

But the property’s roots go back more than 100 years, when the Chicago Diocese of the Episcopal Church built the lodge as a summer house for the Girls’ Friendly Society, a support organization for single women and girls.

First opened in 1903, the Holiday House received its guests via boats from Chicago that ferried the girls to the fruit docks of Glenn Pier for a week of crafts, games and socializing away from the city’s noise and commotion.

The original lodge building now stands at the back of the lot, having been moved back from its original setting on a bluff overlooking the water in the early 1970s.

As part of the move, the lodge was placed on top of a basement and an owner’s residence was added. The lodge building includes a wide screened porch across the front that’s ideal for watching sunset, Colmey says.

After they purchased the property, the Colmeys added several bathrooms to the second floor and updated the kitchens to meet the demands of modern guests.

Inside, a rustic gathering room features a massive stone fireplace that was added when the building was moved in the 1970s. Behind the gathering room is a large dining hall and kitchen facilities.

The pine flooring in the lodge is original to the building, as are the rafters. A large staircase leads upstairs, where there are five bunkrooms and four bathrooms added by the Colmeys.

Colmey said the lodge, which can sleep up to 45 if every bunk and bed is used, has been used by some families and groups for generations.

“The big draw is that they can all be in one house,” she said.

Across the street, the Annex Building includes “St. Margaret’s By The Lake,” a rustic two-story chapel whose plain wooden pews can hold up to 50 persons. The chapel has been used for corporate gatherings, religious services and weddings, one as recently as last fall.

The remainder of the vinyl-sided Annex Building is occupied by two apartments, one of which the Colmeys used while the other was rented to guests.

Although the Annex apartments have been upgraded to include modern appliances, bathrooms and windows, the building is warmed only by electric space heaters and gas fireplaces.

“It’s definitely a three-season house,” Colmey said.

They explored having the property declared a historic landmark, but Colmey said they have been told there have been too many changes to earn the designation.