Discover the Largest Log Cabin in the World

Nothing is quite as rustic and inviting as a vacation in a log cabin. Whether relaxing on the Great Smoky Mountains, gazing at the plains of Wyoming, or observing the sky above Montana—a log cabin feels like the perfect American frontier home in nature. So, it should be no surprise that the world’s largest log cabin resides in the U.S.A.

Long before Manifest Destiny, however, there has been a long tradition of log building originating from Scandinavian countries, Germany, and Northern Russia. Due to the ease of construction and few materials needed, it was a popular method of building. This became especially important when immigrating to other parts of the country.

Mainly, log cabins don’t require nails or spikes but instead rely on notched groves to secure them. Additionally, a single pioneer could build a dwelling, usually a simple room with about six logs in height, according to the History of Log Homes.

Nonetheless, it’s part of American nature to test the possibilities of ambition in immoderation. From that spirit, the largest log cabin in the world laid its first timber in 1919. And today, it’s on the market.

The Granot Loma

According to the World Record Academy, the title of the World’s Largest Log Cabin is held by the Granot Loma. It is located in Marquette, Michigan. The estate sits atop Lake Superior and is about a century old.

Featuring 23 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and 20,000 square feet of space, the Granot Loma is not exactly a rustic country retreat.

Additionally, there are 13 other buildings on the over the 5,000-acre property. The estate includes a guest house with four apartments, a playhouse, a servants’ quarters, four garages, and a tennis court. Initially, the Loma hosted a farm that milked 200 cows.

The cabin overlooks the shoreline and has an L-shaped design. It features a 60-foot-long great room viewing the water and 26 stone fireplaces.

The interior decor resembles a spaghetti western. It is ornamented with totem poles, teepees, taxidermy, portraits of Native Americans, and mammoth bear rugs. Renowned movie designer Orry Kelly had a hand decorating the Granot Loma. Afterward, he won several Academy Awards in the 1950s for his work.

Construction began in 1919 by Louis Graveraet Kaufman. Kaufman was a wealthy Marquette banker who worked on the initial plans for the Empire State Building.

By 1923, the Granot Loma was complete. What once took pioneers two weeks and one man, this impressive log cabin was built with 400 Scandinavian artisans and four years of constant construction.

The lodge was styled in the tradition of the Great Adirondack lodges, also known as the Great Camps. The Adirondack lodges were built in the late 1800s and became a place in New York where wealthy city dwellers could escape to nature while still having the comforts that wealth provided. Alfred G. Vanderbilt eventually bought a portion of Great Camps and it became highly exclusive. Kaufman embarked on his version of the Camps in response to his prohibition from elite circles that often had biases against races, religions, and wealth lineage.

The project cost Kaufman over $5 million and became his summer retreat. During this time, he hosted prestigious guests, including Henry Ford, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Mary Pickford, and Fred Astaire.

However, much economic unreliability occurred between the Gilded Age and when the Granot Loma next went on the market in 1987. Over the years, the logs had shrunk, allowing air and water to infiltrate. Settling also contributed to the wood’s deterioration.

Despite that, Tom Baldwin, a Chicago bond trader, bought the Loma for $4.5 million and spent the next 18 months painstakingly restoring the antique home to its original glory. It took several hundred Michigan white pine logs to cure and dry thoroughly before rebuilding the exterior of the massive cabin.

“There are lots of new log house builders, but few people restore old log houses. It’s a lost art. Now, you can’t tell the difference between the new and the old,” said Baldwin to American Log Restoration.

The work he put into it placed it on the National Register of Historic Places. However, after 30 years of ownership, the Loma has returned to the market. And today, it’s waiting for a buyer.

“It became the most-viewed listing in the United States on Realtor.com,” said Bob Sullivan, a Realtor with Northern Michigan Land Brokers to The Detroit News.

Initially listed at $40 million, the Granot Loma’s price dropped by half in 2017. And to sweeten the deal, it includes all 5,100 acres and accompanying buildings. Of course that depends if you have an interest in owning the largest log cabin in the world.