John J. Makinen Bottle House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Kaleve Bottle House
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John J. Makinen Bottle House
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Kaleva, Michigan |
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| Built | 1941 |
| Architect | John J. Makinen Sr. |
| Architectural style | Bottle house |
| NRHP reference No. | 87000423 |
| Added to NRHP | July 7, 1987 |
Imagine a house made out of thousands of glass bottles! That's exactly what the John J. Makinen Bottle House is. It's also known as the Kaleva Bottle House and is a museum today. This unique house was built in 1941 by John J. Makinen, Sr. You can find it in Kaleva, Michigan, a small town near Manistee. Over 60,000 bottles were used to build its walls, all laid on their sides.
How the Bottle House Was Built
John J. Makinen, Sr. came from Finland and moved to Michigan in 1903. He owned a company called Northwestern Bottling Works in Kaleva. This company made and bottled many different drinks.
Mr. Makinen started building his bottle house in 1941. Sadly, he passed away before he and his family could move into their new home.
Most of the bottles used for the house came from his own bottling plant. If you look closely, you can see the bottoms of the bottles. There are many kinds of bottles, including round and oblong shapes. They once held drinks, wine, and other liquids. On the front of the house, clear and brown bottles are carefully placed to spell out the words "HAPPY HOME."
A Museum for Everyone
The Kaleva Historical Society bought the bottle house in 1980. Then, the Kaleva Historical Museum purchased it in 1981. They fixed it up and turned it into a museum.
Today, the museum shows items from the 1800s and 1900s. It also shares information about local schools, businesses, and families from the area. The house is recognized as an important historical site. It is listed on both the National Register of Historical Sites and the Michigan Register of Historical Sites. You can see plaques in front of the house that show these honors.
The "Pop" Sound
Have you ever wondered why some people call carbonated soft drinks "pop"? The museum suggests that this word might have come from the Northwestern Bottling Works Company.
In the early days of bottling, drinks with bubbles sometimes had a problem. The corks used to seal the bottles could not always hold back the pressure from the carbonation. Sometimes, a cork would suddenly fly out of the bottle with a loud "POP!" This sound might be how the word "pop" became popular for fizzy drinks.
A Fun Fact for Kids
When the Kaleva Bottle House Museum first opened, many children visited. They often wanted to see the bathroom! This was because the bathtub in the house had been shown on a Nickelodeon TV show. A sock puppet was featured with the bathtub, making it a fun and memorable part of the museum for young visitors.
