A historic marker near the 1870s-era house on Mackinac Island known as “The Lilacs” tells the story: “Inspired by the City Beautiful Movement and the 1880s trend to create summer homes for wealthy urbanites eager to escape industrial cities, the Annex was among the first planned summer communities in Michigan,” it explains.
cottage community.
Developed by Chicago businessman and fur trader Gurdon Hubbard and still known as Hubbard’s Annex, “the neighborhood is an important part of Mackinac Island history,” explains homeowner Melissa Gembis, who with her husband, Jeff, now owns the 19th-century house that Hubbard built for himself on the southern bluff of the iconic island.
The island had become the country’s second national park in 1875 and Hubbard, who had lost his fortune in the Chicago fire of 1871, decided to develop a resort hotel and 132-lot cottage community on his 80 acres of Mackinac land. The hotel was never built, but Hubbard’s cottage community still thrives today. His Queen Anne-style house was bought by Gembis’ great-grandparents in 1928, and both she and her 85-year-old mother have fond memories of growing up spending summers on the island and in the house.
Not surprisingly, a number of changes have been made throughout the home’s long history. Gembis’ father renovated the house in 1993, shoring up the foundation, adding space, and reconfiguring some rooms for better livability and flow. Among the first-floor changes: turning the one-time kitchen into a guest room, carving a new kitchen out of small former bedrooms and a first-floor bath, converting a screened-in porch into a four-season space, and adding a laundry room. Upstairs, he removed a bathroom to create a new primary bedroom and turned another bedroom into two baths.
By the time Gembis and her husband, Jeff, took ownership in 2014, the interior needed another face-lift, she acknowledges, as well as “more space to accommodate three generations.” It also desperately needed a dining room — a fact that prompted another renovation in 2019. “We would have 20 people over and there was no place to eat,” Gembis says.
At the time it was built, the home didn’t have a kitchen. Families would gather at the community eating house, the homeowner explains. A kitchen had been added along the way, but there was never a dining area, a fact that became increasingly problematic as the family grew. The recent renovation added a dining area/breakfast room as an extension of the kitchen. Once the current owners decided to add an eating area, plans snowballed. “We figured since we were doing the downstairs, we might as well go upstairs, too,” Gembis explains.
The family enlisted the help of designers Kevin Serba and John Rattray, of Serba Interiors, whom they had worked with on their home in Birmingham and an earlier horse stable and upstairs loft apartment built on the Mackinac property in 2017. The designers, who work often on historic structures, were “thrilled” to be asked, Rattray says.
The designers’ goal was to update the house while being “true to the architecture and age of the structure,” Rattray explains. That meant “gutting everything except for the staircase, the living room, and one original bedroom,” Gembis adds.
The three-year renovation included a large addition off the back of the cottage that allowed for the larger kitchen, along with a new dining area, a mudroom entry, and a first-floor owner’s suite that opens to a new screened porch. Upstairs, the extra space allowed bedrooms and bathrooms to be reworked and renovated. “We added a full bath, a half bath, and two bedrooms. The two side-by-side bathrooms that my dad added in 1993 were gutted during our renovation and made into one bathroom,” Gembis says.
“In the end, quite a bit of space was added to the overall structure, but each new space maintains the scale and proportion typical of the time period of the original home,” Rattray adds.
“The main priority was to be true to the architecture and age of the structure when selecting materials and furnishings,” Rattray continues. “It was crucial that our selections reflected the age and history of the home. It was also important that we capture the charm and energy that’s unique to Mackinac Island. Colorful fabrics, artwork, and accessories help bring that energy to the cottage. Many of the furnishings are antiques, helping to add an additional layer of history and patina to each space.”
The recent renovation started in 2019 but the pandemic shutdown, weather, and other logistics added delays and complications. In the end it was all worth it, Gembis says, noting that the result is a historic home that’s better than ever, with “a lot of good spaces to gather and hang out.” She says they can now sleep 14 in the renovated house and horse barn, and the family — which includes Gembis’ three children and her 85-year-old mom — continue to gather on the island, as they’ve done for almost a century. Gembis and her husband have their eyes on the future, she says, and upholding the tradition her great-grandparents started.
PARTY READY! The home desperately needed a dining room — a fact that prompted the 2019 renovation. “We would have 20 people over and there was no place to eat,” homeowner Melissa Gembis recalls.Now, an inviting layout with plenty of natural light welcomes.
“There’s a lot of history here,” she says. “We’re trying to be good stewards for the property and for the generations to come.”
BUYER’S GUIDE
INTERIOR DESIGN
Serba Interiors, Birmingham, serbainteriors.com
BARN APARTMENT
Armchair (Green Checkered) – Redford House Furniture
Bedframe – Redford House Furniture
Chairs, Dining – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Flooring – Oak
Lamp, Bedside – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park Light Fixture – Visual Comfort
Oven/Microwave – KitchenAid
Rugs (Green) – Capel Rugs
Table, Bedside – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Table, Dining – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
BATHROOM
Flooring – Virginia Tile Tile, Walls – Virginia Tile
BEDROOM, GERANIUM
Bed Frame – Redford House Furniture
Chair – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Curtains – Brunschwig & Fils, Kravet | Lee Jofa | Brunschwig & Fils, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Lamp, Bedside – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Flooring – Maple
Rug – STARK Carpet, Troy
Table, Bedside – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
BEDROOM, GUEST
Armchair – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Artwork (Field) – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Bedframe – Redford House Furniture
Chest – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Flooring – Maple
Rug – STARK Carpet, Troy
Table, Bedside – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
BEDROOM, MASTER
Bedframe – Redford House Furniture
Cabinetry – Custom, Eric Vogler Construction, West Bloomfield
Chair, Accent – Highland House Furniture
Drapery – Colefax and Fowler, Tenant & Associates, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Flooring – Maple
Lamp, Bedside – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Lamp, Floor – Visual Comfort
Pillow (Flowers) – Colefax and Fowler, Tenant & Associates, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Rug – STARK Carpet, Troy
Seat, Accent – Highland House Furniture
Table, Accent – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Table, Bedside – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
DINING ROOM
Artwork – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Bench – Custom, Eric Vogler Construction, West Bloomfield
Cabinetry – Custom, Eric Vogler Construction, West Bloomfield
Chairs, Dining – Englishman’s Fine Furnishings
Chandelier – Ironware International
Curtains – Colefax and Fowler, Tenant & Associates, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Flooring – Virginia Tile
Light, Hanging – Ironware International
Table, Dining – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Table, Display – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Rug – Bellbridge Carpets
Sconce – Ironware International
Sink – Shaws
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
ENTRYWAY
Artwork (Bottom) – Serba Interiors, Birmingham
Artwork (Top) – Serba Interiors, Birmingham
Chair, Accent – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Chest – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Flooring – Maple
Lamp – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
KITCHEN
Backsplash (Green) – ANN SACKS, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Cabinetry – Custom, Eric Vogler Construction, West Bloomfield
Ceiling Treatment – Beadboard
Chandelier (Black) – Currey & Company
Countertops – Carrara Marble, Wolverine Stone Co., Warren
Flooring – Virginia Tile
Lighting, Hanging Fixtures – Visual Comfort
Oven – Wolf
Rug – STARK Carpet, Troy
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
LIVING ROOM
Artwork (Berries) – Serba Interiors, Birmingham
Artwork (Left) – Serba Interiors, Birmingham
Artwork (Middle) – Serba Interiors, Birmingham
Artwork (Right) – Serba Interiors, Birmingham
Chair, Accent – Highland House Furniture
Lamp, Floor (Left) – Visual Comfort
Lamp, Floor (Right) – Visual Comfort
Pillow, Accent (Checkered) – Brunschwig & Fils, Kravet| Lee Jofa | Brunschwig & Fils, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Pillow, Accent (Green) – Brunschwig & Fils, Kravet | Lee Jofa | Brunschwig & Fils, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Pillows, Throw (Flowers) – Brunschwig & Fils, Kravet| Lee Jofa | Brunschwig & Fils, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Rug – STARK Carpet, Troy
Sofa – Hickory Chair Furniture
Table, Coffee – Custom, Lamia Metalcraft & Design
Table, End (Left) – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Table, End (Right) – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
ISLAND VIBES! A pretty blue chest and complementary artwork adorn the foyer.
SITTING AREA
Armchairs – TCS Designs
Artwork (Frame) – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Artwork (Horse Cutouts) – Antique, The Parson’s Nose Antiques, Oak Park
Bar Stools – TCS Designs
Flooring – Virginia Tiles
Lamp, Floor – Visual Comfort
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Cloud White
ISLAND VIBES! : An exterior perspective shows both the main home and the stables/loft apartment. Their teal color reflects hues found in the nearby Straits of Mackinac
EXTERIOR
Building Materials – Wood Siding
Landscaping – Barnwell Landscape and Garden, Mackinac Island
ADDITIONAL PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS
Architect – Richard Clements Architect, PLLC, Ocgueoc
Landscaping – Barnwell Landscape and Garden, Mackinac Island
Contributor –Jack Barnwell, PLA, Landscape Architect, Traverse City
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