SACRED SPACE

Architecture, photography and poetry meet in this grandiloquent paean to a lakeside home.

Inspired by childhood memories of Northwest Lower Michigan, Lee (Backcountry Ranger, 1994, etc.) contracted architect Roger A. Hummel to design the house of her dreams on seven pristine acres on the Lake Michigan shoreline in the idyllic village of Elk Rapids. Seven years later, the magnificent 17,000-square-foot home, dubbed “Pine Hollow,” was complete. Ultimately, Lee decided to donate the beautiful, beloved structure to an organization she founded called “Pine Hollow Institute,” which hosts retreats for nonprofit organizations—particularly those with environmental concerns. This exuberant celebration of the home in all its glory combines a poem, written by Lee, with breathtaking, full-color photographs of the house and grounds. The ambitious verse, repeated in its entirety at the end of the book, is somewhat trite, beginning with Pine Hollow’s ancient history: “I still can smell crustaceous salt / and pause in reverie as images of life / remind me of ancestral versions of myself.” The verse is more vivid when describing the place itself, in concrete detail: “A white oak tree beside the creek, roots deep in soil, / then pillars up, with mirrored branches arching out / to bind the shadows of the Earth to heaven’s sun.” Fans of architecture and lovers of Better Homes and Gardens will enjoy the house’s earthy beauty. A photograph of descending stairs between stone walls is particularly memorable. The designers brought the feel of the rock-dotted shoreline indoors by using local, natural stone, along with Michigan white oak timber posts and beams designed to withstand the test of time. Several well-placed windows also allow the natural world inside. The opulent library, in which thick leather chairs sit below towering bookshelves, is similarly impressive, and a deck with an expansive view of water, clouds and trees provides an inviting outdoor space. Although not a poetic tour de force, Lee’s romantic vision shines through with panache, and her philanthropic spirit and love of Pine Hollow are undeniable.

Nonprofits will likely be compelled to further explore Lee’s glorious gathering space after experiencing this book.