R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press From the roof of the House of Ludington, Kevin Chown points to the beacon light atop the iconic turret. The building’s history dates to Escanaba’s heyday as a steamship port.

ESCANABA — The House of Ludington’s recent changes in operations are the latest in a long string of colorful pieces of history preserved within the grand building.

The new owner, Gabor Zsolnay, lives in Chicago and was seeking someone with local insight and the right vision to handle operations at the historic landmark in downtown Escanaba. That person was Kevin Chown, an Escanaba native whose musical career has allowed him to travel the world and see a number of other hotels and restaurants from a guest’s point of view. Newly back in the neighborhood where he was raised — he remembers riding his bicycle and taking in the House with curious young eyes — Chown is eager to get back to his local roots and breathe life back into this time capsule on the bay that means as much to him as it does to the rest of town.

First built in 1864, the now-iconic House of Ludington has accrued several additions, one relocation, a slide deck of owners — and each element, rather than writing over previous editions, has added to the layers of history. The second owner, John Christie, expanded what had been a wood structure; by 1911, he had added a gift shop and ballroom downstairs, more rooms upstairs, and covered the facade with brick. A hidden stairwell strategically placed between windows with views of the sheriff’s department and courthouse — valuable for mobsters during Prohibition in the 1920s — led underground and to other reaches of town via steam tunnels. A cocktail lounge was added in 1937. In the hands of Pat Hayes, what had been the hotel lobby became the King George room with a large fireplace in 1953. A separate entrance heads into a basement where an old barber shop and beauty spa used to be — salon counters, furniture, and even a tanning bed that looks to be from the 1980s are still in the process of being cleared out.

Many residents of Escanaba recall the glory days of the House of Ludington, but it has been a few decades since it was in its prime.

So what is the new owner’s connection to the place? The first time Zsolnay entered the hotel was in 1958 after fleeing Hungary with his mother. He laid some roots in the Escanaba area and remembers his first meal at the House of Ludington — he was 12 years old and seated in the King George Room. Even after leaving to continue building his American life, the now-retired architect was drawn back to the House of Ludington.

Zsolnay met Chown a few months after purchasing the House of Ludington in 2022. The previous owners had run it as more of a bed and breakfast, but kept the business pretty simple and did not utilize nearly the whole space, something the new management is keen to do. Zsolnay appointed Chown as curator and director of operations, and since beginning that role in January of this year, Chown said he has been putting in 16-hour days to get the House back into shape.

He said that his intrigue began when he was a child growing up two blocks away. He always knew it as an impressive building that was frequented for occasions like family dinners and class reunions. An interest in history drove him to learn more about the additions and stories layered around the House of Ludington.

Chown explained that the best way to keep the legacy going and to elevate the House of Ludington back to its former glory would be to not remodel the old building into something else, but to keep it as the “imperfect masterpiece” that it is. When crews needed to tear down and replace one wall, they considered options for further renovations.

“But then I started realizing the House of Ludington isn’t about me; it’s about the House of Ludington. And to change things would be to take people’s memories away from them,” said Chown.

Instead of remodeling, he assessed what was available to work with and what needed to be fixed. The only removals done in this new iteration of the hotel, in the Gabor-Chown era, were of things that detracted from the essence of the original look. “Everybody’s interested most of all in seeing this building, and I want them to see it for what it really is and not be distracted by things like ugly wallpaper.”

Chown says he appreciates the various aspects of the House of Ludington’s past and recognizes its importance to the community — even more so since the restaurant reopened three weeks ago to customers who bring and share stories.

“It blows my mind how many people have memories of their life tied up in the walls of this building,” said Chown. With pride and wonder, he recounted a few: “One person said, ‘I got engaged at this table, I had my bridal shower in the King George Room, and I had my reception in the ballroom.’ … So many people come back and say they were once waitresses here. So many people come back and say their fondest memories are with the food or their experience with some of the previous owners, who were characters outright. Larger than life.”

Several of the employees brought aboard have a history with the restaurant, too. For one, executive chef Chris DuBord — who left his chef position at the Island Resort & Casino to join — started cooking at the House of Ludington when he was 15.

Some people say the hotel is haunted. The best-known former owner, Pat Hayes, is said to still make appearances — and not just in the portraits by Belgian painter Max Moreau that dot the walls.

A photo album of old snapshots and postcards at the front desk gives further insight to the hotel’s history.

The reopening has been a gradual process, and some efforts are still ongoing. The famed glass elevator is temporarily a coffee booth; restoration will be a future project. The idea to perhaps eventually offer tours has been thrown around. Currently, the most impressive spaces — the dining rooms, the bar, suites of various sizes and styles — are restored and ready for the public.

The House of Ludington is open for business.