Tourist Cottages

Location: Lake Street Area, Saugatuck
Date: 1900-1930s

With plenty of tourists flocking to the village by way of steamship transport and later by bus and automobile, the demand for sleeping accommodations skyrocketed and everyone in the village was getting into the rent-a-room game. The Lake street entrance to the village was perfect for little rental cottages—particularly since it ran along the scenic waterfront. The most popular of these tourist cottage businesses was called “Bird Center” (originally the “Hillside Cottages”)—a collection of tiny cottages, all with names of birds to distinguish one from the other. Several still exist along Lake Street.