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All the United States Michigan Charlevoix Weathervane Restaurant Boulder Fireplace
Gastro Obscura

Weathervane Restaurant Boulder Fireplace

In the main dining room, a nine-ton boulder caps the fireplace designed by local architect Earl Young.

Charlevoix, Michigan

Added By
Rick Brown
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A side view of the fireplace and capstone.   rickbbiking / Atlas Obscura User
The Weathervane restaurant.   rickbbiking / Atlas Obscura User
Historical image of the fireplace on display.   rickbbiking / Atlas Obscura User
Historical summary (pt.2 )   rickbbiking / Atlas Obscura User
Historical summary (pt 1)   rickbbiking / Atlas Obscura User
Front view of the dining room fireplace and capstone.   rickbbiking / Atlas Obscura User
Outside, the chimney   killmanm / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In Charlevoix, Michigan, resident Earl Young is famous for his Mushroom Houses (also referred to as Gnome Houses). Aside from these dwellings, he also designed and oversaw construction of several commercial buildings, including the Weathervane Restaurant, which overlooks the Pine River Channel between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix.

In 1928, while developing a neighborhood aptly named Boulder Park, Young and his crew discovered an enormous nine-ton glacial boulder. Young and his team dug up the massive rock, then buried it elsewhere for future use. A quarter-century later, this massive boulder was unearthed by Young for use as the capstone of the dining room fireplace in the Weathervane Restaurant he was constructing.

Work on the restaurant began in August 1953 and was completed in July 1954. Ever since, this impressive boulder has adorned the fireplace. On the floor, to lower right of the fireplace as you face it, is a meteorite that was incorporated into the structure. According to the restaurant’s website, it weighs nearly as much as the capstone.

One cannot help but be impressed by the fireplace and immense size of the capstone. Despite Earl Young having never completed his formal architectural education, the fireplace and the many unique homes and several commercial buildings designed and built by him in Charlevoix stand as lasting legacies of his innovative and creative skills.

Related Tags

Rocks Architecture Restaurants Geology

Know Before You Go

A small series of displays about Earl Young's legacy in Charlevoix are located downstairs on the lower level of the Weathervane Restaurant. Guided street tours are offered in Charlevoix of the Mushroom homes designed and built by Young.

Community Contributors

Added By

rickbbiking

Edited By

killmanm, benjaminfouty

  • killmanm
  • benjaminfouty

Published

June 25, 2019

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Sources
  • Display adjacent to the fireplace.
  • https://www.staffordsweathervane.com/history/
  • "A Guide to the Earl Young Structures in Charlevoix, the Beautiful," Charlevoix Historical Society, 2015.
Weathervane Restaurant Boulder Fireplace
106 Pine River Ln
Charlevoix, Michigan, 49720
United States
45.319245, -85.259284
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Earl Young Mushroom Houses

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Photo of Charlevoix

Charlevoix

Michigan

Places 3

Nearby Places

Earl Young Mushroom Houses

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miles away

Terry's of Charlevoix

Charlevoix, Michigan

miles away

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Charlevoix

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