Restoration
Restoring an Important Piece of West Michigan History
Our restoration story began long ago when Pat Hoezee Meyer and her husband Dean were hiking in the park and stumbled – quite literally – across the Felt Mansion. She headed up the community project and the rest, as they say, is history. We have come a long way in the restoration of the Felt Mansion since then, but of course, we continue to make improvements over time.
Today, volunteers from Laketown Township and surrounding communities are restoring the mansion and grounds to their 1920’s splendor. It is the vision of the Township and volunteers to return the structure and grounds to their original look and feel so the public can appreciate its beauty while learning more about our local history, and the era when a great effort was put to the task of building fine homes.
The restoration is a unique community project, in some ways as impressive as the mansion itself, involving many individual, student, group, and corporate volunteers. Our goal is to restore the Georgian mansion and surrounding grounds, using the target year of 1928 as our target year for restoration — the year the estate was most complete under the ownership and operation of Dorr Felt himself.
Here are some of the improvements we have accomplished
and others we hope to start in the near future:
Exterior Projects
Driveway
Lighting
Gutter Replacement/Repair
Landscaping
Water Garden Resurfacing
Exterior Painting
Storm Windows
Mansion Generator
Interior Projects
Floor Refinishing
Plaster Repair
Woodworking Repair
Furnishings for Bedrooms, Library, Dining Room, and Tippens Room
Barrier-Free First Floor Access
Internet
Carriage House First & Second Floors
Heating and Air Conditioning
Wish List
Barrier-Free Access (elevator)
Landscaping
Period Correct Plants
Water Feature Updates
Masonry Repair Foyer West Wall
Stone Repair to Entryway
Surfacing Mansion Parking
New Exterior and Interior Signage
Restoration of Animal Barn and Sap House
Exterior Painting of the Chapel
Support Our Restoration Efforts
We need help to keep the restoration project going. By donating, you can become a Friend of the Felt Estate.
The Friends of the Felt Estate provide leadership, education, and advocacy for preservation and green initiatives to a network of people, organizations and local communities
Explore Felt Estate's History
Felt Mansion’s restoration has come a long way since it was rediscovered in 2001, and the process continues to this day. Learn more about its rich and interesting history.