918 College Avenue
This historic home was recently restored after losing the roof and third floor to fire in 2022.
Chicago architect Henry Ottenheimer designed this Classical Revival-style home for Allen Forsyth Rees, a self-taught attorney. Recognized as Houghton’s top attorney at the time, his law firm, Chadbourne and Rees, represented the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company in the 1913-14 mining labor strike and was appointed chairman of the disaster fund after the Italian Hall tragedy on Christmas Eve, 1913.
Built in 1900, the asymmetrical, two-and-a-half-story 3,500 square foot clapboard house was constructed on a red Jacobsville sandstone foundation. One of the most notable features is the two-decked portico held up by ionic columns. Two bay windows protrude on the College Avenue side of the house. Interior features include hardwood floors, solid wood doors, ceiling beams, oak and birch trim, and a grand staircase leading up to the second floor. All of the bedrooms include leaded Chicago style windows. Today, the exterior features salmon-colored painted siding with white trim, a hipped roof, and minimal decor except for the cornice and two hooded dormers.
The Rees family home was always bustling with entertainment. Mr. Rees enjoyed playing musical instruments and was an avid violin player. After his death, his daughter Miriam Furbeck inherited the house. She adored having guests over and frequently hosted parties. She eventually sold it to Lawrence Remington, an economics professor at Michigan Technological University, for $18,000.
In 1995 it was sold for $150,000 to John and Helen Sullivan who envisioned owning a bed and breakfast. Named the Charleston House Historic Inn after one of Helen’s favorite towns, Charleston, South Carolina, the couple operated the inn — with Helen serving as the innkeeper — until 2005 when it was sold to the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at Michigan Tech.
Sadly, this beautiful home lost its roof and third floor to a fire on June 3, 2022. Fortunately, none of the fraternity members were injured. Since then, the fraternity has worked continually to restore their historic home. In July 2025, they were finally granted a temporary occupancy permit — just in time for Lambda Chi Alpha's Phi-Phi Zeta at Michigan Technological University to celebrate its 45th Anniversary starting August 7.
Sources: Daily Mining Gazette 2022; Michigan History Division (Michigan Department of State) Inventory Form; Kozenka, N. (2003, April 28) Charleston House Historic Inn Bed & Breakfast. Report prepared for SS 3515 History of American Architecture at Michigan Technological University; Historic Houghton Walking Tour (c. 2000); Image: Vernacular Architecture Forum. (2024). 918 College Ave. North of the Northwoods: From Mines to Motels on Michigan’s Lake Superior (p. 58). photograph. Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity Phi-Phi Zeta at Michigan Tech - Restoration Completion Release (2025, July 20).