The Stone Chalet Mission
Mission: The Stone Chalet Bed and Breakfast Inn and Event Center is to be a haven where life’s most treasured memories are made. With unwavering dedication to excellence and an obsession with every detail, we aim to create an experience that leaves our guests replenished in body and spirit. For our wedding couples, we are devoted to crafting moments of profound beauty and joy that will be cherished for a lifetime.
The Stone Chalet Team
Our team brings together over 80 years of combined experience in hospitality and event management. This wealth of expertise spans every aspect of hospitality, ensuring that every stay is a tranquil retreat and every event is executed with unparalleled efficiency and seamless precision. From technology and maintenance to floral design, décor, officiating, photography, music, and meticulous cleaning, our in-house team possesses the diverse talents needed to create extraordinary experiences. With this exceptional skill set, we are dedicated to crafting unforgettable memories for our guests and wedding couples.
Daisy Howlind - Inn Keeper, Event Manager, Floral Designer and Creative Lead,
A proud University of Michigan alumna (Class of 2012), has been passionate about hospitality and hosting from a young age. Growing up in a family of artists, she developed a keen eye for color and décor, combining creativity with meticulous attention to detail. This artistic flair and dedication have fueled her enthusiasm for managing and operating the Stone Chalet, where she brings zest, pride, and a personal touch to every aspect of the guest experience.
Vincent Zhang - General Manager, Real Estate Broker, Licensed Builder, Officiant.
Vincent Zhang is a proud University of Michigan alumnus (Class of 2009), where he studied engineering and business. With a passion for real estate, finance, and operations, Vincent draws inspiration from the historic charm of the Stone Chalet. His vision is to make the Stone Chalet a household name in Ann Arbor for event gatherings and elevate it to one of the premier wedding venues in the country, specializing in elopements, micro weddings, and small weddings.
Ruby - Administrative Support
Luke - General Support
Britt - BAMPhoto, Stone Chalet Photographer
Tamara - Silver Thumb Photo, Stone Chalet Photographer
Carmen - Staff
Delmy - Staff
Clara - Staff
Magarita - Staff
Chuck - Grounds Maintenance
Libio - Staff Support
The Stone Chalet History
There's quite a history to the property. If you'd like to know please email us and we'll set up a special tour.
Historical Images of the Property from the middle of the last century.
Property Owner History
Stone Chalet is located at 1917 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, MI. It is a complex of buildings located on three city lots. We have an inn with a small event center and also a family residence.
Dean Myers purchased the land, the whole block, in the early 1900s. In 1917 the Swiss style chalet made of hard cut solid granite blocks from a local quarry was finished. It's interesting that the house was finished in 1917 and that is the address also.
He and his family lived there until 1946 when they sold it to the Unitarian Church.
The Unitarians moved into the new location with about 13 families in their group. They used the Myers living room for services and as membership grew the people were pouring out into the main hallway.
In 1948 the Parsonage was built for the minister and his family. We think he used it for a very short time because he could not have enough privacy at the complex so he moved to a different home. The Parsonage was used for meeting rooms and school.
In the early 1950s the membership decided to build a new structure as their sanctuary. Plans for the sanctuary were designed by George B. Brigham, a local famous architect. In 1956 the building was completed.
The Unitarians stayed until January 17, 1999 and relocated south west of town. The property was purchased by the Constantinovs who turned it into a bed and breakfast with performance and event hall. Running an inn is not for the faint of heart. The prior owner put all her effort into transforming the property and today still has many of the touches that were artfully created.
The property was sold in 2013. It is operated as an inn and event center catering to local businesses, residents, non-profits and visiting travelers from afar.
The property was sold in 2022 to Daisy and Vincent, two passionate visionaries with a love for hospitality and iconic real estate. Their mission is to transform this estate into a celebrated historic landmark in Ann Arbor.
A Brief History of the Structures on the Property
The site consists of several structures:
A Swiss Style Stone Chalet
The original Swiss Chalet house made of solid granite blocks is the anchor of the complex. It was built for Dr. Dean Myers and his family in 1917. This is the stone chalet and is the namesake of the business.
A Parsonage
In the late 1940s the Unitarian Church built the parsonage in two stages. The parsonage contains the majority of the guest rooms, seven in total.
An Event Hall
This addition was designed by George B. Brigham, a University of Michigan Professor and Ann Arbor Unitarian Church member. It's style is mid-century modern and was the church. The design so impressed Frank Lloyd Wright that he said he liked it. Pretty good for a guy like Mikey that hates everything. We use it as an event, meeting, retreat and concert hall.
Let's Not Forget the Carriage House
The German caretakers, Gottlob Schumacher and his wife Karolina Schumacher, nee Seyfried, lived in the carriage house on site. They helped out the Myers family. Those caretakers were part of the original founders of the Old German Restaurant. The carriage house still has the original slate roof. Now it is used for garden events and meetings.
Other Things to Know About Stone Chalet
You can find out just about everything you need to know about Stone Chalet on the pages of this website. Here are a few items that we think you should be aware of.
Currently Stone Chalet is TV-free and there are no TVs in rooms. However, our high speed WiFi will allow you to stream video to your own devices.
We don't have a 24 hour desk clerk. You'll need to schedule your arrival with the innkeeper in order to get in. We can provide you with off hours entry instructions.
All of our rooms have in room air conditioning of some variety. Windows with screens open in the summer. Since this is an historic property please be gentle with windows and screens and ask for help if you don't understand the mechanisms. Complete room descriptions for each room are found on the rooms page.
Stone Chalet has a no smoking policy inside and outside the premises. Smoking bins are available near the sidewalk on Berkshire.
Our event areas and gardens make a wonderful location for a small wedding, business meeting, retreat or family reunion. You can reserve the entire facility with our staff to assist for two or more days.
Quiet time is after 10 pm. Please keep noise to a minimum. Outside activity ends at 8 pm per our zoning. However if you are outside quietly enjoying the evening that will be fine.
With any historic buildings, caretaking is a continuous process. We'll be carefully attending to the property all year long.