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The history of Ottawa Beach - Page Two
Following the big fire of October 1871 which destroyed about two thirds of the City of Holland, articles in the city's English language newspaper began to report about local interest in developing resort and recreational facilities out at the lakeshore. A group of Holland businessmen were planning to construct a road along the south shore of Lake Macatawa out to the dunes and beaches of Lake Michigan and to construct a hotel and
By the end of the 1870's, the Chicago and West Michigan Railway had connected Holland with Grand Rapids so visitors could easily take a train out to Holland and catch one of several excursion steam boats out to either Ottawa Beach or to Macatawa Park for a pleasant day trip.
Macatawa Park on the south side of the channel was platted in 1881 entirely by a group from Holland with lots for summer cottages and plans for a temporary resort hotel facing Lake Macatawa. Construction of the Macatawa Park Hotel began on June 12th 1882, and by July 1st, the hotel was open for business.
Not to be outdone in scale or grandeur, in 1895, a new and very imposing hotel had been constructed to the north and west of the Macatawa Park Hotel. The new Hotel Macatawa had 64 guest rooms, and, like the Hotel Ottawa, it featured a "ladies' parlor". As a young boy, I danced on the porch of the Hotel Macatawa, which was demolished in 1956 to make room for the Point West Restaurant. This card from 1908 shows the first temporary hotel just to the left of the new hotel.
Click here for views of the Point West hotel and restaurant complex.
