TreeAlive
← All Michigan markers

The Bottle House

Manistee County · dedicated 1983 · 14551 Wuoksi Avenue, Kaleva

John J. Makinen Sr. (1871-1942) built this house out of over sixty thousand pop bottles, most of which came from his business, the Northwestern Bottling Works. The bottles were laid on their sides with the bottom ends to the exterior. A native of Finland, Makinen moved to the area in 1903. He completed the house in 1941 but died before his family moved into it. In 1980 the building was purchased by the Kaleva Historical Society, which renovated it to house the Kaleva Historical Museum.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Marker data: Michigan History Center

See your own family's places through time.

Start with your family tree