History of the Felt Mansion

Felt Mansion just after it's completion

The Felt Estate was once the luxurious summer home and hobby of inventor and millionaire Dorr E. Felt. On land purchased in 1919, Felt began construction of house, as a gift for his wife Agnes, in 1925. Unfortunately, Agnes died, in her room, shortly after the mansion's completion in 1928.

The family retained ownership until 1948 when the Felt daughters sold the estate to the St. Augustine Seminary and school. The seminary added a few buildings to the property in the 1960s. Due to declining enrollment in the 1970s, the seminary was forced to to sell the land and buildings.

The State of Michigan began using the large seminary school as a minimum-security prison, and the Felt Mansion as a State Police Post, along with offices and storage space for the prison.

Once the prison was phased out, the township bought the land and the buildings from the state with the stipulation that the Mansion and grounds has to remain "for public use only". Because of that stipulation, this property cannot be bought by a private buyer or enterprise.

The Felt Mansion is now listed as a Michigan Historic Landmark.