When most people envision log homes, they think of humble
abodes hidden in the woods rather than huge sprawling estates. For the
ultra-rich business magnates of the early 20th century, however, big was the
only way to go. That’s why Louis G. Kaufman, bank president and early member of
the General Motors board of directors, built a massive 266,000-square-foot log
mansion on the shores of Lake Superior in 1923. He called it Granot Loma – an amalgamation of the
names of his wife and three children – and today the estate still holds the
record as the largest log home in the world.
Valued at $40 million, Granot Loma is also the most
expensive home in the state of Michigan. It was constructed between 1919 and
1923 for a total cost of about $5 million – roughly $70 million in today’s
dollars. Kaufman recruited 22 architects and over 400 Scandinavian craftsmen
for the project. Logs for the home were transported from Oregon by rail.
The home features 23 bedrooms, 13 baths and 26 fireplaces.
The fireplace in the great room measure 30 feet long, and its mantel is made of
a beam salvaged from a shipwreck in Lake Superior. Other furnishings in the
house include a chandelier made from the roots of a white pine tree and a Brunswick
Pool table from 1900 inlaid with silver and mother of pearl.
The house is built on a plot of land measuring nearly eight
square miles along with 13 other outbuildings including a dairy barn, pool
house and multiple garages. Today, the enormous residence is listed on the
National Registrar of Historic Places.
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