The Gale Cottages, Whitehall, Michigan S.088 – Thomas H. Gale Cottage, 5318 S. Shore Drive S.088.1 – Gale rental cottage #1, 5324 S. Shore Drive S.088.2 – Gale rental cottage #2, 5370 S. Shore Drive S.088.3 – Gale rental cottage #3, 5380 S. Shore Drive Wright designed a home for Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Gale (S.016), and was later asked to design cottages for property on White Lake, which flows into Lake Michigan. The first was built in 1897, the other three in 1909. All have undergone substantial modifications, leaving little of their original design visible. Although all four are relatively close to the public roadway, the forest prevents unobstructed views of the details. 5318 & 5324 S. Shore Dr. are adjacent to each other, as are 5370 & 5380. A few cottages or houses are between these two groupings. Also on this block, within a half mile, are the Gerts cottages (S.077 & S.078). Mrs. Gale and Mrs. Gerts were sisters. A small road provides lake access, allowing some photography from the beach. The four properties can be distinguished by their colors: S.088 – yellow S.088.1 – green S.088.2 – brown S.088-3 – white Photographed on March 30, 2016 and April 28, 2016. Project number: Sources differ: Storrer says T.0521 (S.088.1), T.0522 (S.088.2), T.0523 (S.088.3), with no number for S.088. Heinz says T.0522 for S.088, and T.0502 for S.088.1 & S.088.2, with no number for S.088.3 (which he does not list in the Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide)

S.088

Taliesin has no record of the first cottage, so it has no Taliesin project number per Storrer’s tracking. The cottage still shows some of Wright’s classical training, as it has a hip roof instead of the more flat style found in the three cottages that followed.

Side view; the 1897 cottage was originally 9 feet east of here, and was moved in 1966. The side porch was added at that time,

enlarging a screened porch (original to the design) that had faced the lake.

View from road

View from beach; the boathouse is not a Wright design (nor is the small garage in the road-view photo above,

access having been provided by steamship from Chicago – not from road access).

The porch in these last two photos reflects the original screened porch in Wright’s design.

S.088.1

Three rental cottages (S.088.1, .2, and .3) were added in 1909. Taliesin records exist for these units, and they have been assigned Taliesin project numbers of T.0521, T.0522, and T.0523 respectively, according to Storrer. As noted in the heading, though, Heinz refers to a different set of numbers. Records name Mrs. Thomas Gale (Laura Gale) as the owner; her husband died a few years before these commissions were completed.

View from beach

The room on the right was added later

View from road

S.088.2

The third cottage, now clad in vertical brown siding, does not bear its original skin – Wright having selected horizontal board-and-batting for this project.

View from beach

View from road

View from beach access road, with S.088.3’s boathouse in foreground

S.088.3

View from beach

The boathouse and the extra wing were added later; the fireplace was also moved to the exterior wall

When originally built, the three added cottages were essentially identical

View from road

New 04/04/2016 Revised 05/18/2018