Restoring a Masterpiece: The Hull House Offers a Triumph of Renovation Over Ruin

May 7, 2003

When Barb and Hank Rishel purchased the historic Hull House in Traverse City back in 1999, they imagined it would be an easy fixer-upper for their dream of establishing a bed & breakfast at the corner of Wellington and Washington streets.
The couple and Barb‘s sister/partner Jeanne McGeorge soon learned, however, that they were in for the struggle of their lives as the 10,000-square-foot home and its carriage house revealed decades-old secrets of rot and ruin.
“It was a hundred times tougher than I thought it would be,“ Barb says. “We really thought we were just going to replace some siding and do some painting, and did we get a surprise.“
The house was riddled with severe water damage, foundation problems and years of neglect. There were also multiple bullet holes of the infamous 1997 shoot-out between then-occupant John Clark and the Traverse City police, which resulted in the death of officer Dennis Finch. The house was such a wreck that the Rishels were advised that it might be best to tear it down and start over.
Thus, it seems a miracle today that the Hull House has been restored to its original glory -- perhaps even surpassing it. Over the past two weekends, hundreds of area residents toured the newly-named “Wellington Inn“ to marvel at its nine renovated bedrooms and two carriage house suites, all lovingly decorated by local interior designers. After four years of ceaseless renovations, the mansion has become a “designers showhouse“ which is the pride of scores of volunteers, artisans, builders and history buffs.

GOING BACK
Work on the original Hull House began in 1905 and was completed in 1908. It was built by William Cary Hull, son of the founder of the Oval Wood Dish Company. The company was established in Mancelona in 1883 and moved to Traverse City in 1892. At one time, it had 325 employees making disposable wooden dishes from hardwood found in the area, as well as clothespins, washboards and lumber. Their oval dishes were used in grocery stores across the country as disposable meat trays, according to a Hull House guide.
Of note, Hull‘s father built the mansion directly across the street from the Hull House, and another family member owned a similar residence at the corner of Wellington and State. Kitty-corner from the Hull House is the boyhood home of former Governor Bill Milliken. In all, the area comprises an historical district which rivaled or bested the homes of Traverse City‘s lumber baron founders.
Through the years, the home fell on hard times. In 1929, it was divided into a four-family unit, with four separate deeds. Eventually, the Clark family bought out the various owners, but the division created some renovation difficulties. Barb notes that four kitchens had to be removed, along with some stairways. A number of baths and half-baths had to be added in order to turn the home into a B&B.

A MESS
The Rishels and Jeanne McGeorge had a good deal of experience under their belts when they took on the Hull House. Barb, an accountant, has restored a total of 14 homes over the past 25 years at locations across the country, while Hank, an instructor at Macomb Community College, built the Traverse Bay Inn and North Shore Inn and has experience in the hospitality industry. Jeanne has had experience in the B&B field.
Nonetheless, the renovation was an incredible challenge.
“When we got started the house turned out to be in such bad shape -- you have no idea -- there was tremendous water damage,“ Barb recalls.
The original roof was covered with ceramic “barrel tiles“ which work well in southern climates, but not in a region noted for snow and ice. The roof had been damaged through the years with little or no repairs, and although the home had an excellent gutter and downspout system, it too had major problems.
As a result, the Rishels found rotten, waterlogged wood throughout the house and the plaster in bad shape. “Some of the former tenants said they used to have buckets in their rooms for leaks,“ Barb says.
Builder Ray Minervini, who is doing the renovations on Building 50 across town, spent two weeks at the Hull House and suggested that it might be beyond saving, she notes.
“I think my lowest day here was when the porch collapsed,“ she says. “Someone had poured three or four inches of concrete over the original porch, but it was angled correctly, so all of the water drained into the house.“
While tearing the old concrete off the porch, workers found a gorgeous mosaic understructure. But the porch was so rotted out that the whole thing suddenly collapsed, ruining the hidden artistry. Every bit of granite had to be removed and remortared in its original position.

RESTORED TO GLORY
The hundreds of visitors to the Hull House this spring found little evidence of that ruin, however, as the mansion has been restored to the elegance of 1905, with many fine additions.
A life-long antique lover, Barb has scoured the country as well as local shops to fill the home with century-old furnishings, including mint-condition gas stoves for the carriage house suites (only a carpet and a few light fixtures remained when they purchased the home). Many antiques came from the auction at the Grand Victorian B&B in Bellaire.
Barb also enlisted the support of area interior designers, who were charged with restoring each room to its original spendor. Although there is only one known photo of the original interior of the home, designers relied on their knowledge of century-old furnishing trends to recreate the period. Landscapers came in to manicure the grounds. The results are dazzling, with many hours of creativity, imagination and elbow grease evident, along with numerous donated items to complete the look of each room. “The designers and the volunteers worked their hearts out and we‘re so grateful for all of their good work,“ Barb says.
Although the tours have wrapped up, visitors will still have an opportunity to experience the home in the years ahead. Barb is opening a Tea Room on the ground floor, where the sumptuous parlor, library and child‘s play room can be seen. The Tea Room will be open five days a week, four hours a day.
Additionally, the Wellington Inn B&B will open on June 1, offering nine guest rooms and two suites with “all the comforts of a fine, small hotel.“ If you long for a “somewhere in time“ weekend close to home, reservations are available at 231-922-9900.