Founder's Brewery has become a mainstay of the downtown Grand Rapids bar scene. The success of Founder's since its creation in 1997, has resulted in massive investments by the company in the local community, not the least of which was the recent announcement of a planned $40 million expansion of their downtown brewing facility. Their cleverly-named and delicious brews are popular with many local beer aficionados and are also available for sale in many other states as well. Their success has been an inspiration to many other local breweries, which have been popping up all over with increasing frequency in the last few years.
Now the President and CEO of Founder's Brewing Company, Mike Stevens, is making headlines again, this time in the real estate world. The custom mansion he has built, with a total price tag of roughly $1.2 million (not including the $650,000 lot the home was constructed on), has been awarded the 2015 Home of the Year award by Cosmopolitan Home magazine and garnered plenty of local attention, despite not being on the new home tour circuit this year.
Cosmopolitan Home is a West Michigan-based publication, and 2015 marks the 25th year that a newly constructed home has been awarded the Home of the Year award by the publication. The home features plenty of perks and amenities, including a steam bath in the master suite and a television viewable from the bathtub, which conveniently tucks away in well-designed cabinets when not in use.
What does a $1.2 million house in West Michigan look like? It's a sprawling home with nearly 8,000 square feet of living space, with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. Designed by Visbeen Architects and built by J. Peterson Homes, this massive and unique home with every conceivable amenity is located at 2030 San Lu Rae Drive Southeast in East Grand Rapids. Cosmopolitan Home stated in their write-up of the home that the “Baron Room” was one of the stand-out features of this mansion.
If you're wondering what a Baron Room is, it appears to be a massive, well-stocked entertaining space. It includes a full bistro and wet bar, along with a large fireplace, library, and a Tasting Room full of comfortable, overstuffed chairs. In other parts of the home, there are ties to West Michigan history, including a lamp from the old Pantlind Hotel in the secondary entrance and a John Widdicomb table in the living room that was one of the last produced.
This luxury home is an expert combination of the newest technology paired with an intentional historic feel, made to fit in perfectly in the upscale East Grand Rapids neighborhood. An older house was demolished to make way for this new construction, and the new mansion that sits on the lot will surely help contribute to local property values. While the home is, again, not being listed on any real estate tours this year, readers can look at the interior of the home in the feature article in Cosmopolitan Home, which is available for free online by clicking here.