Granot Loma, a fancy-pants named beachfront estate on Lake Superior, hit the market this week at a staggering $40 million. The self-described "largest log cabin in the world," built over the course of four years and completed in 1923, this 26 thousand square foot mega mansion originally cost $5 million to build—nearly $70 million in 2015 dollars. The home's original owner, financier and bank president Louis G. Kaufman played a key role in the founding of General Motors and served on the automaker's board for over 20 years, giving this home a Detroit connection.
Granot Loma rests on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Superior, just north of Marquette. This is the ultimate Up North house. Though summer has come and gone, imagine Thanksgiving or Christmas here and you'll wish you had $40 million. The home is constructed of Oregon pine, cement and stone. The great room, a massive 60-foot-long space, has a huge stone fireplace with an 18 foot mantle. The vaulted ceilings are 24 feet and feature a large, carved chandelier. If you want a fireplace for every family member (immediate and shirt-tail), not to mention every last friend and pet, you're in luck—the house has 25 additional of them.
There are 23 bedrooms, 13 baths, and a spectacular kitchen the listing claims is modeled on the one at the White House kitchen. There's also a solarium, a card room and a game room where George Gershwin played for the Kaufman family on a Steinway Grand that comes with the property. The modern amenities are pretty swanky, too—there's a 3,000 gallon outdoor hot tub overlooking the lake and private harbor, complete with its own marina and boathouse.
The interiors are a weirdly appealing blend of expensive finishes and kitsch. There's a stone bath that has to be seen to be believed, complete with painting of Native American warrior, and there's a living room whose current decor scheme consists of every animal you can imagine as taxidermy. We counted a bear, a wolf and many, many things with antlers there.
If 23 bedrooms aren't enough, there's also a guest house with 4 apartments, not to mention servants' quarters, a root cellar and a tennis court designed by 1920s champ Bill Tilden. The house comes with over 5,000 acres of land, including a full trail system and nearly four miles of shoreline. And it can all be yours. For $40 million. If you have 30 roommates, or hit the Powerball, this is clearly the place. Jokes aside, this house is fabulous, and one of the rare Michigan lake mansions that has this kind of pedigree. It's grand old construction, built to last, and an amazing architectural treasure in its own right.
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