Architecture in Michigan

Discover 23 places to experience unusual architecture in Michigan.

Haven Hill

White Lake, Michigan

Haven Hill

Once the extravagant escape of the Ford family, this enigmatic ruin now stands as a haunting reminder of its former glory.

McNamara Terminal Light Tunnel

Detroit, Michigan

McNamara Terminal Light Tunnel

Inside the Wayne County airport is an amazing collection of lights and sounds.

The State Theatre

Bay City, Michigan

State Theatre

This indie movie theater is one of only three surviving Mayan-themed theaters designed by “Detroit’s greatest theater architect.”

Garden, Michigan

Fayette Historic Townsite

This 19th-century ghost town offers a stunning view of Lake Michigan and a journey through the region's industrial past.

A side view of the fireplace and capstone.

Charlevoix, Michigan

Weathervane Restaurant Boulder Fireplace

In the main dining room, a nine-ton boulder caps the fireplace designed by local architect Earl Young.

Permanently Closed

Hersey, Michigan

Rimwood Chapel

The smallest useable chapel in Michigan is five-by-eight feet and has seating for three.

Old Benzie County Courthouse.

Beulah, Michigan

Old Benzie County Courthouse

This former county courthouse was originally an opulent hotel and entertainment venue.

Cedar Lake's two-story outhouse.

Cedar Lake, Michigan

Two-Story Outhouse

There are two legends behind the origin of this unusually tall sanitary structure.

The primary tunnel.

Traverse City, Michigan

Tunnels of Traverse City State Hospital

A subterranean world of tunnels links several buildings of this rare 19th-century asylum.

Witch's Hat Depot.

South Lyon, Michigan

Witch's Hat Depot

This 19th-century former train station’s unusual roof shape earned it a rather witchy name.

Curwood Castle.

Owosso, Michigan

Curwood Castle

The writing studio of an American adventure author, built in the style of a medieval castle.

Pickle Barrel House, 2015

Grand Marais, Michigan

Pickle Barrel House

This little barrel-shaped cottage by Lake Superior was once a cartoonist's summer retreat.

Steelcase Pyramid

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Steelcase Pyramid

One lonely, modern pyramid has gone from corporate think tank to deserted boondoggle.

Ypsilanti Water Tower

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Ypsilanti Water Tower

Lovingly nick-named the "Brick Dick" this municipal tower was winner of the World's Most Phallic Building Contest.

Detroit, Michigan

The Caryatids of Book Tower

38-story baroque tower reflecting Detroit's rise, fall, and possible rise again.

Marquette, Michigan

The Superior Dome

As its grandiose name implies, this wooden dome is unsurpassed in size.