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Area Map
Acknowledgements
City of East Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Public Library
East Grand Rapids Public Library
Mary Dersch
Deborah Lynn Kerr
Images of Point Paulo
Frederick Paulo (aka Michael Jordan's uncle through marriage)
Maurice Bellclaire
The Ramona Theatre played
host to the Orpheum Circuit of Vaudeville. In the early 1900s it was considered the premier theatre in the country for summertime entertainment.
Reeds Lake in the Early 1900s
These lions stayed at the resort one summer.
This is a group shot of some of the resort regulars down at the beach.
The Chateau Dining Room
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Welcome to the Point Paulo Wiki.
The Wiki format of this Website will allow anyone to contribute information to the history of Point Paulo. Simply scroll to the bottom of this page and click "Edit". For more information on the Wiki craze, click here.
Please contribute or edit the content anywhere you see fit, you don't have to ask! If you're not comfortable with HTML, you can still make changes -- just don't edit anything between the < > symbols.
The Point Paulo resort was located in East Grand Rapids, along the shores of Reeds Lake. The Marx Brothers, Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, George Burns, Will Rogers, Morton Downey, and Walter Winchell stayed there, along with Buster Keaton, Fanny Brice, and many others. Several of the stars of the Vaudeville tour called Reeds Lake and the Ramona Theatre their favorite stop on the Orpheum Theatre circuit, primarily because of the beautiful resort on Reeds lake known as Point Paulo.
Frederick Paulo and Maurice Bellclaire created Point Paulo as a colony for touring and vacationing actors. At the time, Ramona Park was flourishing as one of the most successful tourist destinations in the country. Frederick Paulo had toured with the Orpheum Circuit for years as a song and dance man, and Maurice Bellclaire had amazed audiences with his strong man act. One day as they pondered the beauty of Reeds Lake from across the street at Ramona Park, the idea of Point Paulo was born.
The farm house that stood at the center of the plot was remodeled into a country eating house. Paulo was the chef, and Bellclaire had charge of the serving. Their French and Italian dinner menu was irresistible.
The business quickly outgrew the farm house and a new, much larger building was constructed. This building, set on the slope of a hill overlooking Reeds Lake, became known as Chateau Paulo. As the popularity of Point Paulo soared, 30 guest cottages were added, 6 at a time. And another 24 room guest house known as the "Chalet" was soon needed to handle the overflow of actors and vacationers.
Frederick Paulo and Maurice Bellclaire, along with most Vaudevillians, were known for their exotic, bohemian lifestyles. They had rowdy parties that sometimes attracted the attention of local law enforcement. Actors and musicians would often play to small groups and friends within the exclusive confines of the resort.
Paulo kept a cow, chickens, and other livestock on the property. Bellclaire, who was responsible for milking the cow, had grown accustomed to peformers hours, which meant milking the cow at noon and midnight.
A German animal trainer (named Havemann), who had eight performing lions, was one of Point Paulo's patrons. The problem - where to put the lions. Finally, it was decided to house them in Paulo's barn. Bookings for the lion peformance were suddenly scarce, so the lions spent all summer at the resort. Some of the female Vaudevillians staying at the resort kept an axe at bedside that season.
Modern day East Grand Rapids is an interesting mix of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, expensive homes, lawyers, doctors, and just about everything else you'd expect in a small midwestern town. Gaslight Village, which is the downtown cluster of shops and businesses, is also known for its annual art fair.
But there's something different about EGR. Nestled within the larger urban area of greater Grand Rapids, EGR stands out because of its small town appeal. Instead of suburban freeways, highways, strip malls and faceless subdivisions, Gaslight Village provides a clustered village of schools, single family residential, multi-unit residential, shopping, and good eats. While suburban sprawl consumes the farm land in all directions, residents of EGR enjoy a walking community centered around a beautiful lake and village.
100 years ago the Ramona Theatre was attracting some of the most famous artists, performers, and musicians in the world. Set on the slope of a hill overlooking Reeds Lake, Chateau Paulo formed the heart of the resort when it was built. As the popularity of Point Paulo soared, 30 guest cottages were added, 6 at a time. And another 24 room guest house known as the "Chalet" was soon needed to handle the overflow of actors and vacationers.
Today, the Chateau Paulo still stands. It is now a private residence. The names of the resort founders can be seen on the street signs of the residential neighborhood developed by Paulo and Bellclaire after they closed their resort in 1920: Frederick Drive and Bellclaire Avenue.
Steve Goulet, who manages this Wiki, is a software engineer and small business owner living in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. He currently resides on Frederick Drive, with his wife and two children, across the street from the Chateau Paulo. Steve is part owner of Blue Sphere, Inc, which is a software and Web development company located in Ada, Michigan.
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