Mushroom Houses Tour

 September 1, 2025

Magnus Park site 31 (w/30e)

Petosky, MI

Today was Gem Day.  The two-legged headed for nearby Charlevoix for a tour of the Mushroom Houses while riding in the Gem mobile, a six seater electric cart.

"It's common to refer to the custom homes of master builder Earl Young as mushroom houses. As a designer, Young was enigmatic because he didn't use blueprints. As an artist, he created homes that fit the site, rather than forcing the landscape to accommodate the design. The iconic structures' cute names do not diminish their lasting impact and Charlevoix is proud of its architectural treasures. 

Over the course of his fifty-year career, Young would build twenty-six residential houses and four commercial properties. His works are made mostly of stone, using limestone, fieldstone, and boulders that he found throughout Northern Michigan. Each of these houses is individually different and was designed to blend in with its surrounding landscape. Earl Young's houses feature his signature designs, along with wide, wavy eaves, exposed rafter tails; cedar-shake roofs; and a horizontal emphasis in design. These buildings are creatively known as Gnome Homes, Mushroom Houses, or Hobbit Houses."

They are all private residences, mostly summer cottages as many have under 1000 square feet of living space.  

Check out the curved roof line over the entrance.

An eyebrow appearance

The rock design supports the window boxes.

Being private residences, our tour guide shared pictures of some of the inside features.

It is difficult to imagine working with large stones between 1918 and 1960 as the heavy equipment used currently wasn't available then.

Momma said she thought the stone fences were phenomenal.

 Yes, Earl has the same last name as Momma's maiden name but she is very doubtful there is any relationship.

The next stop was also in the artistic venue.  

Lots of potter pieces inside the building along with artistic yard items for sale.

This area is definitely a very touristy area that swells in size in the summer months and being Labor Day Weekend, there are people galore.

Tomorrow is another travel day as we head further southwest in Michigan.

I'm Chloe