Birch Lodge Trout Lake

Birch Lodge, located amidst 19 acres in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has won the MHPN 2021 Building Award as an outstanding rehabilitation project. Birch Lodge was constructed in 1911 on the northern shore of Trout Lake. Built by Dr. Edgar David Ford, Birch Lodge was conceived as a comprehensive and holistic health resort of the type popular at the turn of the century. Originally called the “Birch Lodge Hospital and Summer Resort Sanitarium,” Birch Lodge is one of the last remaining health sanitariums still standing in Michigan.
The building’s lake-side façade is distinguished by a wide, wooden porch that runs the full length of the building. The first floor features a parlor, a dining room and kitchen, two guest suites on the west end and the Birch Bar on the east end. The upper floor comprises ten guest rooms and a lounge with a balcony facing the lake.
Recent alteration work directed by KDG included combining a few smaller rooms upstairs into comfortable guestrooms and improving the kitchen and laundry room. Renovations included removing non-historic materials and replacing them with historically compatible materials. Drop ceilings and linoleum where removed, tile in the bathrooms was replaced. Wood floors were cleaned and refinished throughout and new historically appropriate light fixtures were installed throughout.
KDG served as architect, interior designer, historic preservationist and brand designer for the work completed in 2018. After nearly three years of work, Birch Lodge has undergone a full historic renovation ensuring this unique rural resort is fully operational for another hundred years.