When driving up or down the Leelanau Peninsula on M-22, many commuters pass through the scenic commercial district of Suttons Bay. The downtown area is the very picture of a small lakeside American town with the marquee of the Bay Theatre, a family-owned department store, Bahle’s, and several buildings in between. These were all designed by local architect Larry Graves.
The Graves family has lived on the peninsula for over 50 years, moving here in January 1973 from Ann Arbor after Larry graduated from the University of Michigan’s college of architecture and design. Larry said that he and his wife, Barbara, were attracted to the area by the natural beauty and a desire to be closer to his mother- and father-in-law living in Bellaire.
Graves started out working for architecture firms in Suttons Bay and Traverse City before establishing his own practice, now at 421 N. Saint Joseph St., in Suttons Bay. Despite being at retirement age, Graves said that “he can’t seem to retire.” Although he doesn’t design commercial projects anymore, he continues to work on residential buildings, usually for friends and personal contacts.
For example, Graves said he recently designed a new home for two prominent peninsula residents, Larry Mawby, founder of Mawby Vineyards and Winery, and Lois Bahle, former county commissioner and member of Leelanau Energy. Graves said that the home he designed for the couple was his first attempt at making a “passive” house.
“A passive house is about as energy efficient as you can design these days. It uses very little energy and is very tight. (Mawby and Bahle’s home is) heated with heat pumps, which extract heat from exterior and use it in house. And there is a small guest fireplace. The design was very successful, from the standpoint of being a ‘passive’ house,” Graves said.
Graves said that he specializes at designing custom vacation and retirement homes and enjoys designing structures that meet the challenges posed by each site, like building on a hill or by the water. He said that he likes to “blend some historical precedence with contemporary use of space, do complex volumes rather than just a box, and spend a lot of time talking about the needs of the owners.”
Larry and Barbara brought two daughters with them when they moved here, and while living here, they had a son. The Graves’ children all went to Suttons Bay Public Schools, and during their education, Larry served as a school board member for a total of nine years.
Their eldest daughter, Cynthia, attended U of M herself as a generational student before returning to Suttons Bay, where she sent Graves’ grandchildren to school. Cynthia’s husband, Garrick Opie, is varsity head football coach at Suttons Bay. Graves’ younger daughter, Bethany Stowe, became a second-grade teacher at Northport Public Schools. His son resides in Bay City.
Graves is also a former president of the Leelanau Peninsula Chamberof Commerce and member of the Leelanau Community Choir. He is still active as sergeant-at-arms for the Rotary Club of Suttons Bay-Leelanau County and the local pickleball club.
