From The Archives

Queen Ann Victorian

The Heather House, a Bed & Breakfast built in 1885 is a particularly beautiful Queen Anne Victorian Home & overlooks the Saint (St) Clair River. This fast-flowing blue river joins Lake Huron to the North & Lake Saint (St) Clair to the south. The 32 miles of the Saint (St) Clair River are especially active with Ocean & Lake traffic. Marine City Michigan (MI), originally called Newport, was one of the most productive shipyards back in the days of wood-hulled ships. It was also a destination spot for Detroiters during the summer months who came to enjoy the salt water spas, so popular at the turn of the 20th Century. Today, Marine City, Michigan (MI) is a quiet little town of 4500 people nestled in to the banks of the Saint (St) Clair River. Homes date back to the late 1800s. There are many fine examples of Queen Anne & Italianate Victorian homes, Craftsman bungalows & Greek Revival homes. In recent years there has been a flurry of restoration going on, as local people realize the value of their historic heritage. This Victorian home has 3 levels on a full basement. The uppermost level, about 1500 sq. feet, is unfinished, with great potential. Floor to ceiling heights reach as high as 20 feet. The lower 2 levels are about 5,560 square feet. This includes the north wing added in 1996, the only area on a crawl space. There are 2 separate furnaces to heat the home. The North Wing of this Queen Anne Victorian Home has forced air & the rest has hot water heat. There are 6 separate pumps to control even heating of the home, all updated. The entire home is air conditioned with 3 separate central units. 3 hot water storage tanks provide constant hot water. All 6 bedrooms, have private bathrooms & private outdoor porches. Two of the bedrooms are particularly large with front views of the river. One has a small sitting room & a double Jacuzzi in the bathroom. The other has a sitting nook, a working fireplace & a separate double Jacuzzi room. There are 3 reception rooms in the original home, one of which doubles as a bedroom with fireplace. The North wing has 2 more receptions rooms with a large attached area suitable for a studio bedroom with a full bathroom. A small reading room fills the Widows Walk, 2 levels up.The large kitchen was remodeled in 2000, has a double Viking Range, 2 dishwashers, a 7X 7 Walk-in refrigerator & a built in desk area. The laundry room on the 2nd floor, has 2 stacked washer/dryers. 2 more dryers are in the basement. There is a small 2 person elevator running between the 1st & 2nd levels. A 3-car attached garage has a large bonus room above. There are many chandeliers, beautiful oak trim, & numerous stained glass windows throughout the 3 levels of the home. Much of the home is carpeted but also has 6 rooms with oak floors. The curved staircase is splendid as it ascends to the 2nd level & then on up to the upper turret Widows Walk. The home has a total of 8 outside porches including the large wrap-around one to the front of the house. There are perennial gardens with sprinkler system drawing directly from the river. The lot size is 110 X 150