Blossom Heath

Blossom Heath. Jefferson Avenue south of Ten Mile Road. , The Blossom Heath Inn was originally a roadhouse built in 1911 by Mathew Kramer and was known as the Kramerhof. On August 18, 1914, his only son, Mathew, decided to go for a swim before dinner. He dove into Lake St. Clair in water that was too shallow and broke his neck and drowned. Mathew Kramer, Sr. died on March 8, 1917. On May 1, 1917, Prohibition came to Michigan and the proprietors of roadhouses had to decide whether they would obey the law or violate it. , , Mathew's widow, Bertha, married Louis Voss in 1919. On April 10, 1920, Louis and Bertha Voss sold the Kramerhof to William McIntosh and Harry Frazer for $110,000. They renamed the building the Blossom Heath Inn and added two large wings, which included an ornate ballroom called the Pavilion Royale. Blossom Heath was one of the most luxurious roadhouses in Michigan and hosted nationally known big bands that drew people from Detroit and Canada to the inn. , , Blossom Heath became notorious for illegal drinking and gambling during Prohibition. There was gambling upstairs and in the basement. On the newel post of the stairway, there was a buzzer that the doorman would use to warn everyone in the casinos when the Federal Officers showed up, to close down the gambling. There was also a back door in the basement where the rum-runners would bring in the bootleg whiskey transported by boat from Canada after dark. , , After McIntosh's death by accidental drowning in 1930, the roadhouse was run by his heirs. But by the late 1930s, the heyday of roadhouses was over; and in 1943, Blossom Heath was sold to Harold Walden. The building quickly fell into disuse. In February, 1946, the village of St. Clair Shores purchased the building and surrounding land for $83,000. More than 150 gallons of paint were used to renovate the building. , , On May 19, 1946, the building reopened as a civic center with village offices in the north wing. It became the St. Clair Shores Recreation Center in 1957 when the construction of the current city hall was completed. , , In 1982, the State of Michigan erected a historic marker in front of the building. , , In 1985, the building was leased by Oak Management as a banquet facility. In May 2015, Kosch Hospitality assumed operation of the venue and invested $200,000 to restore the circular dance floor, mahogany bar and the ballroom dome plaster work to its original glamorous state.