A weekly look at famous

Superiorland buildings,

then and now.

MARQUETTE — The Landmark Inn, once known as the Hotel Northland, took 10 years to build.

The foundation was laid in 1920, but the hotel did not open its doors until Jan. 1, 1930.

The structure featured six floors and 100 rooms.

Marquette pioneer George Shiras was one of the original stockholders in the Hotel Northland.

The hotel hosted many celebrities and historical figures including Amelia Earhart in 1932; Abbott & Costello in 1942; astronaut Jerry Lineger; The hotel also hosted the crew of the film “Anatomy of a Murder” during filming in 1959.

In fact, according to the hotel’s website, the cast of the film who stayed at the hotel included Jimmy Stewart, Lee Remick, and George C. Scott. Much of the editing of the movie occurred at the hotel as well, the website states.

The building fell into disrepair during the 1970s, and was closed in 1982. It stayed that way until Team Landmark came along in 1995. The team, headed by Bruce and Christine Pesola, were able to restore the hotel with an antique feel and reopen it by 1997.

Its interior featured, and still does, an antique feel.

The pub is located on the ground floor, and a lounge, located on the sixth floor overlooks the Marquette’s lower harbor in majestic fashion.

It soon revived its reputation as a superior destination. Dr. Jerry Linenger stayed in the summer of 1997 after returning from his near-fatal mission to the Russian Mir Station; Jim Harrison, the novelist who wrote “The Legends of the Fall,” stayed often; President Guntis Ulmanis of Latvia resided there in the fall of 1998; and then there was Gloria Steinem in May of 1999 along with poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou who stayed there in the summer of that same year.

It should also be noted that band members of the Rolling Stones gathered in the Northland Pub prior to the funeral of Royden ‘Chuch’ Magee, their Marquette-born crew chief and longtime friend.

The Graves Hospitality Corp. out of Minneapolis purchased the hotel in 2015.

It currently operates 66 rooms, many of which are named for the celebrities and historical figures who stayed in each respective room.

The upscale restaurant inside the inn, Capers, gave way to the Piedmont, which has since changed to an eatery called the Heritage Cafe, which opened its doors in February of this year.

Historic courtesy photo provided by the Marquette History Center

Modern photo by Journal Staff writer Gabby Muehlen