Dunham House

The original first-class hotel in Manistee was the Dunham House, later known as the Chippewa Hotel and the Coral Gables. On April 9th, 1878, the Dunham House opened its doors for business fulfilling the long felt need for a first-class hotel. The name "The Dunham House" was chosen to honor William Dunham, a prominent banker and respected citizen. After the turn of the century the former Briny Inn took over the first-class hotel market and apparently forced the Dunham House out of business. Thus, when the Briny Inn burned the community was left without a quality hotel and the Board of Commerce immediately began a concerted effort to build a new first-class hotel. When they were unable to raise sufficient funds for a new building they turned to the Dunham House, returning it to its first-class designation as the Chippewa Hotel, with renovation of the building continuing through the spring of 1917. Over the decades ownership of the building changed several times. In 1969, the hotel became known as The Coral Gables and continued as such for the next ten years. After closing in late 1979, the building sat vacant for almost six years and in late March 1985 was destroyed by fire.