11 Jun exterior survey of george whiffin and william wright-designed house of david hotel in summer of 2025
2025 exterior photographic survery of the four-story, steel-framed george whiffen and william wright-designed house of david hotel (1922-23; alterations, 1931), located at 163 colfax avenue, benton harbor, mich.
the 100-room hotel building was built by house of david commune leader benjamin purnell (1861-1927) and operated by his estranged widow, mary purnell (1862-1953).
the unusual facade is comprised of hand-made concrete modules or blocks containing over 17 minerals, including an outer layer of hematite (a common iron oxide mineral that makes up the primary component of iron ore) to make the material sparkle in the sun. the blocks were fabricated by house of david colony masons.
the design program employed on the facade contains a combination of out-of-scale and oddly arranged festoons and 40-foot fluted columns with protruding bracketed shelves and roofline balusters flanked by rounded top finials. the hotel was one of the largest structures constructed by the house of david commune.
