The Carriage House
On beautiful Lake Michigan
No Salt ⚪️ No Sharks ⚪️ No Worries
Because everything has a story
Carriage House/GH Timeline:
1833
Rix Robinson, an American fur trapper, and trader, who established many ports along West Michigan, obtained land rights to the Grand Haven area.
1894
The house was built my Marinas Kamhout, a Grand Haven saloon owner.
1908
Martin DeGlopper, a local blacksmith, later bought the house in 1908, where he kept his horse, buggy, and pigs. Since then, the home has been passed through various owners.
1930's
After Congress established the Coast Guard in 1915, members of the Grand Haven area brought it upon themselves to hold a community picnic to honor the CG members. This celebration continued to grow until the 1930s when the annual Coast Guard Festival first started
1998
Grand Haven was officially declared “Coast Guard City USA” by the US Congress.
2022
The GH Carriage House was purchased by the Gilchrist family who currently is in ownership of the home. The Carriage House renovated to accommodate family and friends.
Home Architecture:
The first floor includes a formal parlor, family parlor, dining room, living room, pantry, kitchen, and bathroom. The piano in the parlor is from the original Grand Haven Piano Factory, which the family often played, sang, and sat around for many years. In the formal parlor there still stands a working fireplace, in which the family popped popcorn together and shared memories. You can still see the original sycamore wood with iron and copper ornamentation and the original beveled mirror.
The rooms are accented with two ornate woodworkings in oak and sycamore, massive sliding wood doors, and built-in cabinets. The chandelier hanging in the living room once had gas and electric connections, which were needed in the days when one source could not always be relied upon.
We closed on the house in January of 2022 and immediately began working on the Carriage House. In researching the home, we found out the Carriage House was used as a barn by Martin DeGlopper (the Saloon owner in town) who kept his horse and buggy and a few pigs in the barn. The original door they threw hay from is still in place on the second floor of the loft. We are excited to use the Carriage House as a wonderful place to host families and friends. We designed the space based on our own experiences vacationing with our three children and our families. There is nothing better than when the kids can all be together or with all their cousins and you can hear them laughing. Those are the moments they will remember for the rest of their lives. The other area we focused on was making sure there was a space where everyone could gather and eat together. That is why both the dining table and courtyard areas are set up for memorable meals and time for family games.”
Our Story:
In 2022, the Gilchrist Family purchased the home and renovated “the barn” into a space to accommodate family, friends, and out-of-town guests. When Mike and Pollie Gilchrist went to design the Carriage House they wanted to maintain the historical layout of the building while also including the items they felt were important to families from their own experiences traveling with their children and extended family growing up. This included taking the original hay loft and adding five beds and a bathroom for families to enjoy together. A lot of laughter and memories can be made when all the cousins or friends are together. The downstairs includes a master bedroom, complete kitchen, living room, and full bathroom. The decor was based around the local Grand Haven artists and Michigan living.
“We very unexpectedly sold our house last summer in Spring Lake. We found ourselves renting downtown Grand Haven until we found a new building site/home. What we didn't expect was how much we absolutely loved living downtown. Even in the off-season, it was wonderful. There was music, trivia nights, the Farmer's Market, and multiple festivals that kept us involved. It completely changed the trajectory of our "plan". After a very frustrating attempt to purchase several homes downtown Grand Haven (they go fast), we decided to walk off our frustrations and took a stroll to Tip a Few Tavern (great burritos, chimichangas, and bar food in general). On our route, we passed 122 Franklin, and our friends-- the Schoock Family were sitting on the porch.We chatted for a bit, went and had dinner, and on our way back, ended up closing down The Armory for the last call. The Schoocks also had a house on 5-mile Hill they were working on. Let's just say that within a week or two, it occurred to all of us what a wonderful arrangement this could be. We purchased the home from the Schook's with the agreement they would always retain porch rights ❤️ (always a perk for parades and festivals in Grand Haven), and gained a beautiful home and a great friendship.
