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Genevieve Coatoam came from Chicago with her mother 1910. Her father, George Cary Wright, started a beach excursion service (circa 1914) with the boats the Wolverine, the Wm. Carey and the Tuscarora. They lived in a house that formerly was the George Crawford house on Pleasant Street. The structure was rolled down the Allegan Street hill when she was a child. Genevieve remembers lying in her bed during the move, while her mother was also in the house. The house [419 Lake St.] was placed on the riverbank, next to Wright's Pavilion at 415 Lake Street. Her father had the Wright's Pavilion built. The business served tea and ice cream, docked their exclusion river boats and had a dance floor. Her mother did not allow the serving of alcohol. Later her father added a gas pump and it became a service station. Later still building was used as the office for the Commercial Record. The family converted the waterfront section of their property into a marina. As a girl, at her new school in Saugatuck, Genevieve was sent home for violating the dress code. It was acceptable for girls to wear knickers in Chicago but not Saugatuck. She remembers a small schoolhouse that was moved from somewhere else to the Saugatuck school property to be used for cooking classes. Genevieve was a ballet dancer and pianist. She knew the dance instructor Huntinghouse. She performed at the Big Pavilion. She remembered seeing E.E. Weed polishing the floor of the Big Pavilion and Mr. Weed's disabled son. Later owners of the Big Pavilion included a Polish judge from Chicago names Bifield[?]. Since her father was the Saugatuck president she benefited from a free pass to the Big Pavilion. The Big Pavilion offered a different movie each day with showings at 7:30 and 9:30 pm and musical accompaniment. Genevieve received a scholarship to study with piano teacher Rudolph Gantz of Chicago. In the 1930s Genevieve attended Hope College. Her music led her to a career of working for Michigan State Transportation Department, for Greyhound 18 years and for a travel agency in St. Joseph, Michigan. She was a member of the Saugatuck Douglas Art Club and a neighbor and 2nd cousin on her father's side of Burr Tillstrom. She grew up in the same Chicago neighborhood as Burr and before she arranged accommodation in Chicago at the Three Arts Club, she lived with the Tillstrom family. Her father George Cary Wright was the "mayor" [technically president of the village] of Saugatuck. He died in 1955 and her brother died in 1957. She recalled the Bolton Gang (gangsters) at the Arrowhead and on the hill the sister Marie who lived at the end of Spear Street. One of the Bolton sisters was a school teacher She recalled shipbuilding on Water Street, Carl Bird's boat works, the Sea Scout's Gallinipper. The Sea Scouts were known as the Sea Gang. Her brother George a member.

NauticalCommercial businesses1909 Big Pavilion -1960

Winthers, Sally

https://sdhc-collections.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/videos/166-CoatoamGenevieve-WrightsPavilion.mp4

04/03/2025

05/10/2025