June 16, 2026: Mushroom Houses OF Charlevoix

Known as “Charlevoix the
Beautiful”, there are three lakes surrounding the city: Lake Michigan, Round Lake, and Lake Charlevoix. It seems like all of the properties for sale boast of being lakefront.

We took a fascinating tour of little earthy houses sprouting like mushrooms right from the mossy ground of Northern Michigan. These whimsical mushroom houses, designed by Earl Young (a homegrown and self-taught architect), can only be found in the beautiful town of Charlevoix, Michigan, and resemble something straight out of a fairytale, often being referred to as Hobbit Homes.

Earl A. Young was a realtor and an insurance salesman who spent one year at the University of Michigan’s School of Architecture before he quit to pursue his own vision. Discouraged by the traditional study of design and unimpressed by Charlevoix’s traditional neighborhoods, he purchased land and began his first home. Over the next 50 years, from the 1920’s to the 1970’s, Young created 26 homes and 4 commercial buildings. As a designer, Young was enigmatic – NO BLUEPRINTS.

As an artist, he was unwavering in his choice of indigenous materials: Fieldstone, limestone, boulders, and substantial timber beams, all coaxed into place with mortar-and gravity, yielded a graceful mélange of curving walls, undulating or sloping rooflines, and intricate stonework. Influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, Young’s homes were crafted to fit the site, rather than forcing the landscape to accommodate the design.

His trademark designs included:

• Rope mortar
• Groups of three
• Houses grown from the ground
• Thatched rooves
• Diamond windows
• Entry door on the side in order to enjoy nature in front
• Arches
• Fireplaces
• Only cared about the outside so many interior rooms are not usable.
• Snow-capped chimneys

See if you can see these trademarks in the following photos:

Many travelers have been rude and knocked on the door and asked if they could enter the home. A law was JUST passed preventing tour groups from coming to town to view the homes. We may have been the last one allowed.

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