Douglass House, NRHP-listed building in Houghton County, Michigan
The Douglass House is a historic hotel at the corner of Shelden Avenue and Isle Royale Street in Houghton, built with brick and terracotta materials. The building stands four stories at the front on a sloping lot, featuring corner towers, a long covered loggia, and white-glazed terracotta trim throughout its Italian Renaissance facade.
The Douglass House was designed in 1899 by Henry L. Ottenheimer of Chicago and built by Paul F. P. Mueller, doubling the hotel size to 100 rooms. The original structure on the site burned down in 1901, but the new building persisted and received an additional section in 1902 designed by Herman Gundlack of Chicago.
The Douglass House served as a central gathering place for locals and travelers, with its ground-floor saloon nicknamed 'The Dog' becoming a warm social hub. The building's role as a meeting spot for the community continues today through its bar, where people still gather for casual evenings and conversation.
The hotel sits in central Houghton and serves as a convenient base for exploring the town and nearby outdoor activities like hiking and boating. Its downtown location makes the surrounding area easily walkable, and the ground-floor bar and dining options are readily accessible to guests and visitors.
The origin of the saloon's nickname 'The Dog' remains a mystery, yet locals and visitors use the name naturally when referring to the bar. Local breweries, some developed with help from Michigan Tech chemists, produce unique beers found in this bar that reflect the area's connection to the mining and scientific communities.
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