August 30, 2022 The Pilot House

The Liberty Gazette

August 30, 2022

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

A few weeks ago, we discovered the Pilot House, a small hotel within walking distance of the airport on the island of Grosse Ile, Michigan. We were so enthralled by what we had read that we decided to fly upfor a visit. Our expectations were high, based on what we had learned, and we can now report that Grosse Ile is all we had hoped for and more. 

Ownership of the Pilot House is now in its second generation. Jim Cortis grew up on the island where his father, Artie, owned a print shop. He had relocated his shop to what is now the Pilot House, which had originally been barracks for employees of aircraft manufacturer Curtiss-Wright. During World War II, the Navy took over the airport, built up the runways, made it a Naval Air Station, and turned the barracks into an officers’ club. When the war was over, an entrepreneur leased the building and rented space to small businesses. One of his tenants was Artie Cortis.

According to Jim, that landlord disappeared one day in 1981, owing something like $10,000 in taxes. All the tenants were locked out with no access to their businesses. Besides Artie’s print shop, there was a trucking company, an embroidery shop, and a sporting goods mail order business. There may have been a lawyer too, but Jim doesn’t recall for sure, which is understandable. I’d want to forget that too. In order to access his business, Artie paid the debt and took over management of the building. After renting the space for weddings and other special events, he realized he needed to offer a better option than the bathroom for the brides to get dressed. That’s when he converted his first room, which turned out to be the start of his hotel business. 

Jim helped his father for many years, and after he passed, Jim took over the family business. His dedication to the hotel is evident in its fourteen impeccable rooms. The cleanliness is, honestly, at a higher standard than the major chain we stayed in the night before. While the layout of the hotel is basically unchanged, he brought the interior up to date, yet without abandoning the charm of days past. 

Walking from the airplane, across the ramp, past the old Naval Air Station hangar, it wasn’t a long trek to the Pilot House. A spacious covered porch, painted white, welcomed us cozily, adorning the front of the two-story brick building. Chairs grouped around a table make a friendly statement. Through the wooden double doors, we entered the lobby with its glass cases of memorabilia. Jim met us, signed us in, and showed us to our accommodations, which included a bedroom, living room, and kitchen.

Fortunately, Jim’s son, whose degree is in business finance, wants to follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps and has big plans for the hotel. We found the Pilot House at Grosse Ile a comfortable and friendly place to stay for our Michigan adventures. 

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