Historic Barton Cottage on Big Glen Lake, Glen Arbor, Michigan

Offered for rental for the first time, the historic Barton Cottage on the west shore of Big Glen Lake will be available to a select family during the summer of 2019. The property changed hands in 2018 and the new owners are hoping to find one family who is interested in 3 consecutive weeks during summer 2019. They have flexibility in scheduling so are able to tailor the rental around a guest’s calendar.
The cottage retains most of its original features including the lakeside screened porch, inswing casement windows, porcelain sink basins in each bedroom, beaverboard paneling and virgin fir wood flooring. Fans and windows are your natural air conditioning as only the bedroom in the maid’s quarters has modern mini-split air conditioner. Though thin on some modern creature comforts, there is a flat screen TV in the living room and wifi internet throughout.
The cottage has 5 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths and is arranged as follows: 2 Bedrooms on the main level, one with a queen bed and another with a full bed. Upstairs there are 2 bedrooms, each with 2 twin beds. The fifth bedroom is the private “maids quarters” located off the north end of the house. It is in the process of a complete remodel with a queen bed and brand new en-suite bath with tiled shower. (new pictures to come once complete). The cottage has an original kitchen with gas stove and small eating area. Most meals from morning cottage to post sunset cocktails will be enjoyed out on the screened porch. The listing photos show it as partially furnished, with some changes expected before summer.
The property is located just 1.4 miles south of Glen Arbor and offers 225 feet of private west shore frontage, with boat house, dock and mooring buoy. There isn’t really a sandy beach, the vegetation grows naturally to the water’s edge, however there is a nice shallow area that only gradually gets deep. At the end of the dock it’s just over waist deep with perfect Glen Lake sand.
HISTORY: The Barton Cottage was designed by Chicago architect Earl H Reed Jr in 1929 and constructed during the summer of 1930. Before the change of ownership last year, the cottage had been in the original family since new. At the time it was among the first of the grand summer homes constructed by wealthy Midwesterners on Glen Lake. The Barton Cottage boathouse was featured on the cover of Barbara Siepker’s “Historical Cottages of Glen Lake” a copy of which is in the cottage for our guests’ enjoyment.
If you have any questions about the property or about a potential rental, please don’t hesitate to reach out.