page_title: Mission Point (Mackinac Island)
section_title: West Residence (Straits Lodge) (1957)
hierarchical_section_title: Mission Point (Mackinac Island) / Mission Point development / West Residence (Straits Lodge) (1957)
caption_attribution_description: English: In 1957 the West Residence was built to serve international conferences. Later it provided Mackinac College with administrative offices and dormitory rooms. Since then it has functioned as a hotel. In the foreground is Mission Church steeple.
context_page_description: Mission Point is located on the southeast side of Mackinac Island, Michigan. It is approximately 21 acres in size between Robinson's Folly and the jetty terminating near Franks Street. The Island has a history of documented European development beginning with French Jesuit missionaries landing at the point in 1634, less than two decades after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on the East Coast of North America.
  Since that time, development at Mission Point has included a Mission House, summer house, several summer Victorian cottages, conference center for an international group, theater, film studio, college campus, and vacation resort. Mission Point looks out toward Round Island over the Straits of Mackinac, the principal waterway between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. In the early 21st century, Mission Point has been developed as Mission Point Resort, a full-service facility including guest lodging, three restaurants, putting greens, a museum, and a theater.
context_section_description: The West Residence (112,300 ft², now called the Straits Lodge) was constructed by MRA workers in 1956–1957 to expand lodging for MRA summer conferences. Residence architect William Woollett was friends with the owner of the Mackinac Island Grand Hotel, W. S. Woodfill. He knew that Woodfill was proud of owning “the largest porch in the world” (660 ft). So out of friendship for him the West Residence was designed to be one foot shorter than the porch of the Grand Hotel. It has 400 beds in 225 rooms. The completed three-story West Residence was finished with brick and limestone, having a two-story high entryway with a five-foot (1.5 m) marble-paneled fireplace (Johnson Hall). The Residence accommodated many thousands of conference visitors in the decade after it opened.
  In 1965 the West Residence was deeded over to Mackinac College, an institution legally independent of MRA and chartered by the Michigan Board of Education.  From 1966 to 1970 the college used the building as the men's dormitory. The basement of the Residence housed the college switchboard, photographic darkroom, laundry, finance offices, and administrative offices. After Mackinac College closed in 1970, TV evangelist Rex Humbard purchased the building for use as part of a nondenominational Bible college. In 1977 Humbard sold the property and it became part of the Mackinac Hotel and Conference Center. In late 1987 it was sold to John Shufelt, and in 2014 to present owners Dennert O. and Suzanne Ware. Currently called the Straits Lodge, it has been painted white.
caption: In 1957 the West Residence was built to serve international conferences. Designed by William Woollett (Los Angeles) and Rudi Barraud (Lucerne, Switzerland), it Later provided Mackinac College with administrative offices and dormitory rooms. Since then it has functioned as a hotel. In the foreground is Mission Church steeple.
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