On the northeast tip of Minnesota, on the shores of Lake Superio…
On the northeast tip of Minnesota, on the shores of Lake Superior, is the Naniboujou Lodge and Restaurant.
Mark Lindsey
The main dining room has been restored to its former glory.
Mark Lindsey
It features Cree Indian–inspired designs and Minnesota’s lar…
It features Cree Indian–inspired designs and Minnesota’s largest stone fireplace, according to the lodge.
Mark Lindsey
The ceiling has been referred to as the “North Woods’ answer…
The ceiling has been referred to as the “North Woods’ answer to the Sistine Chapel.”
Mark Lindsey
It was painted in the late 1920s by French artist Antoine Gouffe…
It was painted in the late 1920s by French artist Antoine Gouffee.
Mark Lindsey
In the lobby is a “gossip chair,” which dates from the late …
In the lobby is a “gossip chair,” which dates from the late 1920s, when the lodge first opened.
Mark Lindsey
The Naniboujou was conceived of as a private club, members-only,…
The Naniboujou was conceived of as a private club, members-only, with no promotional advertising.
Decades before Michael Jordan, Mike Ditka, Wayne Gretzky, or John Elway got into the hospitality biz, there was the Naniboujou Lodge in Grand Marais, Minnesota—northeast of Duluth, on the shores of Lake Superior. Opened in 1929 by a group that included Babe Ruth, Ring Lardner, and Jack Dempsey, the lodge was conceived as a private club. Alas, the Jazz Age wound down, the market crashed, and the lodge’s mortgage was foreclosed.
After changing hands over the years, the lodge is now on the National Register of Historic Places, and it has been reopened as The Naniboujou Lodge and Restaurant. What’s more, the eye-popping dining room ceiling has been gloriously restored. Painted in the late 1920s by French artist Antoine Gouffee, it’s Cree Indian–meets–Art Deco gone psychedelic. For a look, check out the slideshow. Wayne Gretzky, eat your heart out.
Amy Albert is a senior editor at Builder.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Duluth, MN.
Amy Albert is editor of Custom Home and a senior editor at Builder. She covers all aspects of design. Previously, she
was kitchen design editor at Bon Appetit;
before that, she was senior editor at Fine
Cooking, where she shot, edited, and wrote stories on kitchen design. Amy
studied art history with an emphasis on architecture and urban design at the
University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Los Angeles. Write her at [email protected], follow her on Twitter @CustomHomeMag and @amyatbuilder, or join her on Custom Home's Facebook page.
