Historic Building owners clear up closing rumors

ESCANABA — A building with more than 200 years of history in Delta County is in the process of being sold. The House of Ludington will become a place for seniors to live, if all the pieces with the sale fall into place next year.

Ed and Suzell Eisenberger own the House of Ludington. They’ve owned the property, which serves as a restaurant, hotel and apartment building, since 1997.

The Eisenbergers are the process of selling the historic building to a developer in Ann Arbor, who plans on turning the property into 34 apartments for seniors. With the sale pending, rumors have circulated that the House of Ludington has closed its doors.

Suzell says that’s not the case.

“We’re on our third round and with our current developer, who is out of Ann Arbor. He will submit (paperwork) on October third. We should know in the middle of January if we get funding or not. Even with that, it takes six to nine months. But if we don’t get funding, we will reapply in April. Until it’s funded, we will be open for business,” said Eisenberger.

The funding Eisenberger is referring to would come from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The cost of remodeling the House of Ludington into affordable senior living space is expected to be $10 million.