Midgaard (Marquette, Michigan) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Midgaard
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Middle Island Point, Marquette, Michigan |
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| Area | 1.2 acres (0.49 ha) |
| Built | 1926 |
| Built by | John Lautner Sr. and John Lautner Jr. |
| Architect | John E. and Vida Lautner |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000444 |
| Added to NRHP | June 25, 2013 |
Midgaard, also known as the Lautner Cottage, is a cool log cabin built like a chalet. It sits on Middle Island Point, close to Marquette, Michigan. This cabin is super important because it was the very first building that a 12-year-old John Lautner helped build. He later became a very famous American architect. Midgaard was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013, which means it's a special historical site!
Contents
History of Midgaard Cabin
John E. Lautner Sr. became a professor at Northern State Normal School (now Northern Michigan University) in Marquette in 1903. In 1907, he married Vida Cathleen Gallagher. They had two children: John Lautner Jr., born in 1911, and Kathleen Lautner, born in 1915.
In 1912, John and Vida Lautner built a house in Marquette. It was a wood-framed house called "Keepsake." In the early 1920s, the Lautners wanted to build a summer cabin. They bought land on Middle Island Point in 1921. For the next two years, they planned the cabin's design. They were very inspired by Norwegian folk architecture.
Building the Cabin
The Lautners picked a great spot for their cabin. It was on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior. They started building in 1923. They used spruce logs cut from nearby trees. John Lautner Sr. and his son, John Lautner Jr., did most of the building. Sometimes, John Sr.'s students helped too.
John Jr. was only 12 when he started helping. This early experience taught him a lot about building and design. It greatly influenced his later work as an architect. The cabin took several years to build and was finished in 1927.
Midgaard's Later Years
In 1928, Vida Lautner wrote articles about Midgaard. These articles appeared in magazines like Progressive Education and Home Building. The cabin was also featured in Marquette's local newspaper.
The Lautner family owned the cottage for many years. John Lautner Sr. passed away in 1943. Vida Lautner later moved to Chicago. However, both Vida and John Lautner Jr. visited the cabin many times. John Lautner Jr. even replaced the roof in 1932. He also built a terrace on the side facing the lake in 1939.
Some balconies on the cabin were removed in the 1980s because they were getting old. They were never replaced. John Lautner Sr. wanted the cabin to stay in his family forever. It is still owned by his family today.
John Lautner Jr.: Famous Architect
John Lautner Jr. became a very important architect. He often said that his interest in building started when he helped build Midgaard. He studied with the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright from 1933 to 1938. After that, he started his own architecture business in southern California.
His career really took off after World War II. John Lautner Jr. mostly designed homes. He created unique designs for each house. He thought carefully about the building materials, the land, and what his clients wanted. His homes often blended in with the nature around them.
Notable Works and Awards
Many of Lautner's homes were built on the steep hills around Los Angeles. One of his most famous designs is "Chemosphere." This octagonal (eight-sided) house was once called "the most modern home built in the world."
Lautner won several awards for his work. He received the Architectural Record Award for Excellence in 1971 and 1977. He also got a Cody Award in 1980. In 1984, he was named Olympic Architect. In 1993, he received a Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Los Angeles.
Midgaard's Design and Look
Midgaard is a two-story log cabin. It has a low-pitched roof and faces the front. It sits on a rocky point high above Lake Superior. You reach the cabin by walking on a winding, unpaved path from the main road. A terrace is built against the front of the house, facing the lake.
Outside the Cabin
The cabin is made from spruce logs. There are gaps between the logs filled with "chinking," which is a special material to seal the cabin. It sits on a strong foundation made of stone and granite. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles. The roof edges hang over the cabin walls. All the windows have three parts, with the middle window able to open.
The front (north) and back (south) sides of the cabin look very similar. Each has a door on the first floor with windows on either side. The second floor has a similar setup. The second floor sticks out a bit over the first floor. There is no balcony for the second-story door anymore. On the east and west sides, the second floor also sticks out about two feet. The west side has two windows, one above the other. The east side is similar, but it has an extra window on the first floor.
Inside the Cabin
Inside, Midgaard has two main areas. There's a larger living room and dining area on the north side. A smaller kitchen and bathroom are on the south side. The middle part of the cabin is open from the floor all the way up to the roof.
A staircase in the corner leads to a balcony on the second floor. This balcony goes around the inside of the cabin. There's also a brick fireplace in one corner, which was designed by John Lautner Sr.
The cabin's inside has furniture designed in a "Scandinavian peasant style." This means it has colorful painted chests and old-fashioned items. The curtains were block-printed by Vida Lautner to look like Swedish designs. There are also striped rag rugs and embroidered decorations on the walls.
