Lumber baron Thomas Friant made a statement when he built the Stone Chateau on the corner of Cherry St. and Union Ave. in 1892. A combination of Chateauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne and Shingle features extend throughout the home. Three ornate stone turrets and a porte cochere propel drivers and pedestrians to pause and admire.
After two decades plus living on Grand Rapids’ northeast side, empty nesters Jeanne and her husband Ron were looking to move to the Heritage Hill neighborhood.
“I passed by there many times on my way downtown,” said Jeanne DeWaard.
During an evening glance at Zillow, Ron saw the house just listed. The next morning, they called their realtor and scheduled a walk-through. “This was too unique to pass up,” said Jeanne. “We went through it on Saturday and submitted an offer Monday.”
Purchasing the home in July 2023, they lined up contractors to commence restoration. A complete rehab of the 1970s kitchen took out an island and put in an eating nook. New light fixtures were installed, floors were refinished on the third floor and new flooring was put in for the first-floor study along with dining and living rooms. The original parquet floor in the foyer was retained.
Moving in July 2024, they used a hotplate, microwave and mini fridge for four months until the kitchen was finished.
The beautiful woodwork, paneled walls, coffered ceiling are in pristine condition. The master bedroom and a second bedroom have birdseye maple trim. Encircling the corner lot is a stone wall. Two turrets, leaded glass windows and three stoned arches with the porte cochere lend Romanesque features. The original interior includes oak trim and floors, plaster ceilings and a three-quarter turned staircase with hard-carved designs. There’s a library in the tower area on the first floor. Jeanne put together an office in the second-floor turret. The three-room, two-bedroom carriage house has original flooring, a haymow and space for three cars.
“The location is great,” said Jeanne, who teaches adjunct at Aquinas College. Ron, an attorney, works downtown. “It’s a very friendly neighborhood with lots of social events with the Heritage Hill Association. We’re a couple blocks away from a few commercial districts and we walk to restaurants, coffee shops and entertainment downtown.”
A large maple tree and mulberry tree provide ample shade in the extra lot beside the home. Peach trees, grape vines and winding stone footpaths surrounded by English style flower beds, added by the previous owner, contribute to the bucolic setting.
The house was vacant for several years before attorney John Logie and his wife Susan bought it 1969. Logie passed away in 2021. Susan Logie lived there until 2023. The Mayor of Grand Rapids from 1992-2003, Logie was instrumental in placing the Heritage Hill neighborhood, ten blocks long and five blocks wide, on the National Register of Historic Places which stopped any demolition from urban renewal projects. His home was one of twenty submitted in the process of gaining that recognition.
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