By Tom Pink
Public Relations Office, Lake Superior State University
The president’s house at Lake Superior State University has served as the commanding officer’s home since it was built at the turn of the 20th century, one of a dozen houses that were assigned to officers stationed at the U.S. Army’s Fort Brady. It sits on the northeast edge of campus, near the end of what was formerly known as “Officers Row.”
Construction of the row houses began in 1892, when the fort moved atop Ashmun Hill from the banks of the St. Mary’s River. Nineteen of Fort Brady’s original structures remain on campus, with most of them still in use, including the president’s house. Today, the three-level house has a dual purpose, with the first floor serving as a public reception area and the upper two stories available as living quarters for the president and his or her family. The first floor is the focus of the Christmas Tour of Homes.
The first floor of the house still maintains its early 20th century charm. Large windows overlook a porch on the building’s north side that provides a view of the Soo Locks and Canadian Sault. Oak trees nearly as old as the house itself spread across the lawn. All of the brick houses on campus were painted at one time. The president’s house and neighboring Lukenda Alumni House were painted white; as a result, both the US and LSSU presidents lived in the White House. The rest of the row houses were painted green and all of them were stripped to their original brickwork in the 1980s.
Inside, the house is kept cozy with three fireplaces on both the first and second floors, with one on each floor converted to natural gas. The fireplace in the first floor’s living room has been featured as a centerpiece for many campus holiday cards over the years. The first floor also features wood trim and floors throughout the space, including the expansive living room, parlor and dining room, where the staircase leads to the president’s living quarters. A large kitchen off the dining room allows LSSU Food Service to cater to parties large or small. A new exhibit in the dining room documents construction milestones on campus over 70 years.
Upstairs, the house features two bedrooms, two full bathrooms and two sitting rooms on the second story, and another two bedrooms, full bathroom and sitting room on the third floor.
The university is proud of its military tradition and pleased it has been able to keep so many of the former fort buildings in use. In addition to the president’s house, other former officers’ quarters are now used for office and classroom space, and student living quarters. A number of the row houses have been converted into living-learning spaces where students may live with other students who are pursuing the same fields of study.
Find out more about the former Fort Brady’s history on the university website, www.lssu.edu/brady, or pick up one of the “Fort to Future” brochures available during the tour.
