Modern on Mitchell

Extraordinary Homes: Landmark Edition

By Beth Anne Piehl
Photography by G. Randall Goss

Owner: Larry Cappel, Mitchell Street, Petoskey
Year built: 1948

Petoskey’s East Mitchell Historic District, encompassing 31 blocks in the northeast portion of the city limits, includes 294 residential properties; Larry Cappel’s brick home near the intersection of Mitchell and Kalamazoo streets is one of them.

But its history is proving elusive. A plaque recognizing the home as one on the National Register of Historic Places includes reference as the “Wm Parks Jr.,” house, built in 1948. But who Parks was and his role in Petoskey isn’t clear. Several sources contacted for this article weren’t aware of Parks’ mark on the area. One possible lead is that likely his father, Dr. William Parks, was a doctor who had relocated to Petoskey from Ellsworth around 1925, according to online records from Banks Township.

While Parks might not go down in history, his house has, and Cappel has incorporated his own sense of retro-elegance into the 60-year-old home that leaves period-style architecture on the exterior only.

Classic and clean describe Cappel’s design preferences; it’s an unexpected twist on history that so often means fully stocked curio cabinets and heavy on the antiques. Instead, the décor is chic and elegant, all dark brown (a shade so dark that it makes you wonder if it’s black) and cream, with sparse and intentional accents and select pieces of artwork that don’t overwhelm the intimate rooms.

When he bought the home three years ago, Cappel undertook several renovations, including opening the kitchen into one room from two small spaces, finishing the basement and commissioning Joel Stoppel of Petoskey to create custom built-in cabinetry. “In a small house, built-ins are just critical,” Cappel noted.

For a 2,500 square-foot home with two bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths, and a layout befitting the era it was built — smaller rooms rather than the great-room-trend of today — the house presents a fresh and posh ambiance along a stretch of Petoskey’s past.

Cappel’s family itself, in fact, has a lengthy history in the area. Cincinnati natives, they were among the first to summer in Bay View, the first generation dating back to 1876. He grew up in Bay View as a youth, and is the first in the family to stay year ’round, though he splits his time now between Florida and other locales with his business, Ship Shape. He’s owned several homes in the area, and counts the current location as a favorite.

“There’s something,” he said, “about being at the top of Mitchell.”

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