Stutsmanville Old Standard School, Harbor Springs, Michigan

 

It's back to school time! This is the Stutsmanville Old Standard School just north of Harbor Springs, Michigan in Friendship Township. It was used a school from 1906 until 1958. 

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30 years ago it was turned into a studio apartment with a catering business in the lower level.

It's 1,600 square feet and stands on a one acre lot.

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(For those who are curious, as best as I can tell, the decorative cornerstone reads Friendship 1906 ...No. 2.)

Behind the school's cornerstone is a time capsule with a note that says it was the first brick schoolhouse in Emmet County and was built for $1,932.62.

The chalkboard is in its original spot, and the floors still have marks from the bolts of the desks.

This upper floor has a half bath, walk-in closet, and a bar/kitchenette.

The full kitchen is downstairs, along with another bathroom and a laundry room.

It was right about here that I started getting Downton Abbey kitchen vibes. 

Imagine my happiness when I discovered a "Downton Abbey industrial kitchen" was actually a thing:

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This inspiration kitchen is a cooking school in North Yorkshire. (The same place as Downton! Fictionally, at least.  In real life Downton/Highclere Castle is in Hampshire, about 100 km west of London.)

But, like Downton, the outside of the cooking school looks like this:

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It's the Carlton School of Food in the 17th century Carlton Towers, the traditional home of the Duke of Norfolk. (Carlton Towers was also the set of the PBS miniseries Victoria.)  

If you wanted to model Standard School on the Carlton School, the stove/range area would go from this to this:

The sink area would go from this to this:

Lastly, the table by the stairs would just have to go from this...

...to this:

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Harbor Springs, Michigan is an appealing waterfront community on the north shore of Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. 

{via Nine and Sixteen Home - Tessa's travel accounts will make you want to visit.)

As the listing for the schoolhouse reads, it's "on the way to Good Hart and Cross Village..."

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"...only a bit further then to the sugar sand beaches of Sturgeon Bay..."

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"...and then to Mackinac Island and the bridge."

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The listing concludes "this location for an art studio, shop, cafe, restaurant, or just a personal office space is ideal." It's definitely a place to get you excited about going back to school.

The listing is here.