#326 - St. Clair Inn in Michigan

St. Clair, Michigan

In June, Don and I flew into Detroit and drove an hour to the eastern thumb of Michigan's mitten.  

Right on the edge of that mitten shaped state, we found the river town of St. Clair. A town I'd never heard about, back when I lived in Michigan.

Why St. Clair?.

A family gathering on Lake Michigan, was what took us to the state. But it was the old Ford Motor Cookbook that steered us towards the town on the St. Clair River.

While planning our trip, I made sure to peek at the Michigan section, in our 74-year-old book. There I found a recipe from Chef Zimmer, of the St. Clair Inn. A Google search let me know the hotel was still open for business and had been recently renovated! We booked.

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Since 1926

We arrived on a cloudy afternoon and spotted the hotel, looking out over Riverside Drive. The fine looking inn opened its doors nearly a century ago. 

The fine looking young woman standing with her hands on her hips, was not quite so old. "Clair" and 5 other statues, were created 5 years ago, for the reopening of St. Clair Inn.

Impressive Design

​When we arrived, the brick and timber, U-shaped building, looked as tidy as the internet photos.

As we moved closer to the gabled entrance, some of the more whimsical features stood out. The swooping, wood-shingled roof, caught my eye.

The little tower to the left, looked right out of a storybook. 

At night, other features (besides our shadows) popped out.

I noticed the curious brickwork after I snapped a photo. A few bricks at funny angles, here and there!

And the colorful glass was a fun surprise. So was the Speakeasy, behind those glowing circles.

Lobby

After stepping into the lobby we were greeted by Ashely, at the desk. She was enthused about the hotel's history and pointed out some of the original features.​ Plaster ceiling with rough-hewn timbers...

...gray oak staircase and original brick floors! We could see dips in the worn brick, near the check-in counter.

Lounge Area
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A couple steps down from the lobby was a comfy lounge area, freshly decorated.

In the morning there was a coffee bar set up on the round table,

Imagining 1926 

I loved the stone fireplaces at opposite ends of the lounge. I wish I could have found old photos with folks in 1920's attire, gathering near the fires. 

It's impressive that the hotel could have opened during the height of Prohibition. Evidently the inn became quite the gathering place for wealthy locals and vacationers.

​Dining Areas

I did a quick peek into some of the dining areas. 

I tried to imagine some diners in the 1950s, ordering Chef Zimmer's, Fried St. Clair River Pickerel. I read about that, in the yellow cookbook.

Sadly, I don't believe these grand spaces are being used for daily dining. Just events. And I wasn't even sure which dining room was the original, since there have been renovations over the years. But I enjoyed wandering and looking at the interesting windows.  

And looking out of the windows, I could see some figures that appeared to be getting ready to dive into the river!

Speakeasy

Ashley was sad to inform us that Prohibition (the hotel's appropriately named  speakeasy) would be closed that night. She said the door was unlocked and welcomed us to have a look.

There wasn't anything too secretive looking about the Speakeasy. But it was fun to see the slanted ceiling and colorful windows. I'm not clear if the inn originally had a speakeasy. I'm guessing yes.

Second Floor Room

We could have booked a room in the new wing, but we chose the original building. We took the old staircase up from the lobby and found our room just a few doors down. 

Our door opened to a wall of shelves and storage... which might have been nice had we stayed more than a night. The bathroom was on the left.

Cozy

Our room was small, but the soaring ceiling (at least in the corner) made the room feel bright and airy.

The gray and white decor was lovely. 

Way Back When
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The photo below shows one of the hotel's origial 60 guest rooms. (photo credit: Wisconsin Historical Society)

The old room looks larger than ours. Big enough to hold 2 beds and 4 chairs! Evidently, when the hotel opened in 1926, they had with air-conditioning! That's surprising. My family didn't have AC when we lived in Ann Arbor, in 1975. 

Along with AC, our room had a large flatscreen TV and a Nespresso coffeemaker and a fridge! I'm fairly certain our bed was much more comfortable than the beds in the old photo!
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​The best part of the room was the window. 

We could open it up and taken in the river scenes, with lots of activity!

Classy 

I wish I could have found photos of the original bathrooms. I have no idea what the this space looked like in 1926 or even in 2016, when the property was most recently purchased.

I believe, the grand hotel had been closed and empty for at least a decade. What a classy job they did with the marble and rainfall shower.
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​Dive Theme

After exploring inside, it was time to check out the property overlooking the river. We exited near the hotel's new restaurant, "The Dive". The silhouette image on the window was a fun preview.

Steps took us up to a spacious terrace, overlooking the St. Clair River and some more divers!

Along the boardwalk, we found 5 more bronze statues, perched on 8-foot pilings!

This curious art installation was created by artist Dale Evers, for the inn's reopening, about 5 years ago. The inspiration was a photograph from 1979.

The Photo

In 1979 there was evidently a sort of "club" among the employees. I'm not sure when it began or how secretive it was, but diving off the pilings was pretty much what the club was all about. 

This photo from '79 surfaced after many years. It shows one of the many diving celebrations. On the day it was taken, they were celebrating one of the waiters, who was about to head off for college.

The statue on the right shows busboy Tim, diving in his uniform. I wonder how many of these local "kids" are still in the area. I'm sure they never thought they'd be part of an art installation.

​Facing the River

I wish I could have jumped into the river, just to get far enough away to capture the whole back of the building in a photo.

I couldn't get back far enough to show the whole inn.  But this image shows "The Dive" restaurant/bar, with great window views of the river.

The Cookbook Illustration

If I'd been able to swim out from where the flag and statues were displayed, I could have enjoyed a view, similar to the image I found in the cookbook. 

The mid-century-cartoonish illustration cracks me up. I recognize the timber and plaster exterior on the side.

​Facing the water, I see 2 chimneys and the 3 "eyebrow windows" letting light into the attic.

Of course the glassed in restaurant/bar wasn't there when the cookbook came out in 1950. But I was a little curious to see if the book's recipe was on the current menu!

The Dive

It was about 5:00 when Don and I headed in, to check out The Vibe at The Dive.

The river scenery was lovely, but the place was loud and casual.

The sports bar atmosphere was not a bit like the old dining room where waiters once served up Pickerel, in 1950. The current staff was young and surely not at all interested in a vintage book featuring the inn.

We decided to order drinks and take them outside to the patio.

The Terrace

Unlike the crowded bar/restaurant, the terrace deck was empty and quiet.

There were only a handful of tables on the wide open terrace. The perfect view of the river and Canada, just across!

We grabbed the table with the umbrella... just in case the sun came out. There were a couple sprinkles, so we lucked out.

It was surprising how many barges traveled up and down the river. A few motorboats as well.

It was fun to imagine the St. Clair River, in the early 1900s. Overnight steamers were common back in those days. 

We also kept an eye on the nearby wedding activities. Evidently, St. Clair Inn once hosted 11 weddings in one weekend. Quite the place, back in the day!

Locals 

Before long we weren't the only guests on the terrace. Jerry chatted with us for a while, about the summers he spent in St. Clair as a kid.

He pointed to a building across the river in Canada. It was a liquor store, he said. During Prohibition, a Model T would drive across the ice flows to the get alcohol. Really!?

Next we met locals, Chris and Bob who told us they dine weekly at the Inn. It was wonderful to hear their stories about the community and how everyone has pushed to bring the old hotel back to life. I was about ready to move to St. Clair, after hearing about the pros of small town living. I at least wanted to come back in a week, to see the firework display over the river!

Dylan and Cookbook

Eventually, Don and I decided to order dinner on the terrace. Bob flagged down Dylan who had served them. Dylan seemed like a nice enough guy, so I went ahead and did the cookbook thing. Asked him if they had Fried St. Clair River Pickerel.

Dylan apologized that they didn't. Which was no surprise and I didn't want to order it anyway. But then I showed Dylan the book, to explain why I'd asked. He was properly amused and happily posed with us, while Bob snapped a photo!

We enjoyed salads with chicken, while the sun disappeared.  

I told Don we needed to stay until small lamps lit up. They did by 9:30.

We walked down near the restaurant and it looked like they were closing up before 10. 

We continued down the boardwalk and looked back to see the the night view of the inn (and some newer cottages) sitting beside the calm water.

After strolling along the river, we wandered back on Riverside Drive and returned to the inn, all lit up and welcoming... but quiet. No late night wedding party celebrations. We had a peaceful night.

Morning

I woke early after a night of rain and took a walk along Riverside Drive.

I returned by way of the boardwalk and took one more look at the Divers!

I missed my chance the night before. I forgot to ask Dylan our waiter... had he joined the club? Did he ever dive from one of the pilings?

What's Notable?

We stayed at a beautifully restored 98-year-old inn, sitting right on the St. Clair River. Despite the age, the property felt fresh and clean and welcoming.

I'll most fondly remember the time sitting out and watching the river. Learning about the inn and town, from locals made the visit more special. I hope the inn continues to attract travelers and locals as it did when it first opened. Maybe the restaurant will eventually open for nightly dining and we can return.  I'll kindly suggest they put Fried Pickerel on the menu!
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