Saarinen Heaven at the Dam Site Inn

Cranbrook Sighting # 12
Sighter: Shelley Selim
Sighted: Saarinen Tulip Furniture Galore!
Location: The Dam Site Inn, Pellston, Michigan
Date: June 28, 2014

At the end of June my beau and I embarked on a Michigan road trip, driving up north to Mackinac and down the western coast of the state. The Island, Tunnel of Trees, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and plenty of breweries made the list, and when Cranbrook Art Museum director Gregory Wittkopp mentioned to me a restaurant and cocktail bar in Pellston filled with Eero Saarinen furniture, I knew we had to take a special detour.

Cocktail Bar at the Dam Site Inn, Pellston, Michigan

Behold, the Dam Site Inn! A staple on the Maple River since 1953, it seems little has changed about the decor since it opened, and how wonderfully so! It is quite a feeling to sip a Manhattan in this Saarinen tulip garden, and the wood paneling and whimsical brass light fixtures supplement the nostalgic ambiance. Aside from the furniture, my favorite decorative features of the bar were the textile wall panels, visible in the above photo and shown in detail below.

Wall covering at the Dam Site Inn

Biomorphic and boomerang patterns in glistening, silky gold–did a Ruth Adler Schnee textile get caught in a disco inferno? Incredible. A must-see if you ever find yourself in Pellston!

Shelley Selim
2013-2015 Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow
Cranbrook Art Museum