VIDEOS/PHOTOS: Nothing man-made can be added to the Lake Michigan shoreline and outshine the natural beauty of the lakeshore, but Hotel Ottawa arguably came the closest.
For its time, the luxury hotel — sandwiched between Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa (then known as Black Lake) — was one of the state’s premiere tourist draws, attracting people from all across Michigan and the Midwest.
Unfortunately, the hotel met an untimely end. The beautiful building burned to the ground 100 years ago Monday.
The story of Hotel Ottawa starts years before crews ever broke ground. According to local historian Valerie van Heest, the hotel was part of a plan to build a cottage and resort park.