Saint John's Resort in Plymouth Township has attracted visitors for years. But new owners of the property are transforming it into a combination of modern luxury, history and natural beauty as it completes a $50 million renovation to lure bigger conventions, weddings and charitable events.

Already, the campus has attracted visitors from all over the U.S., as well as international visitors from places including Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. Located at 5 Mile and Sheldon, the resort is 26 miles west of downtown Detroit, 21 miles north of Detroit Metro Airport and 19 miles east of Ann Arbor.

Owners of the property and public officials involved with this project see it as a unique opportunity to protect historic Romanesque architecture and beautiful gardens while re-investing in the community.

Here's a quick peek at highlights of the Saint John's Resort renovation project as shared with the Detroit Free Press by Kevin Doyle, chief operating officer of the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation:

• Size of property: 200 acres

• Who owns it: The Archdiocese of Detroit sold the former seminary training site for Catholic priests to the William J. Pulte Estate in July 2021, which transferred it to the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation.

• The man behind the vision: William "Bill" Pulte, was a Michigan boy who built his first house at age 18 and went on to create Pulte Homes. He was a quiet philanthropist whose accomplishments included creation of the Angel Fund to provide shelter, heat and light for those in need in Detroit.

• Where profits go: 100% of the net profits from Saint John's Resort go to humanitarian initiatives that support nonprofit organizations focusing on education, foster care, mental health, housing, domestic violence shelters for battered women and services for people with disabilities. The Pulte foundation donated $6.6 million in grants in 2022. Since the foundation started, it has donated $143 million to charity.

• Name change: The Inn at St. John's is now the Saint John's Resort. In 2006, the church developed the site to include a 118-room hotel, 5ive steakhouse (now called "Five"). Previously, it had built the conference center and 27-hole golf course and driving range.

• How many events: The resort hosted 260 weddings and 520 meetings last year.

• Hotel room cost: Ranges from $200 to $1,600 a night with the presidential suite being a two-level 1,600-square-foot suite with a kitchen, wet bar and dining room that seats up to eight people.

• New golf courses: The old golf course has been renovated into an elite 18-hole golf course called "The Cardinal at Saint John's." A Par 3 course modeled after famous holes from the British Isles. A 2-acre natural bent grass putting course modeled after the Himalayas course at St. Andrews.

• Who's building the golf courses: Rich LaBar, a golf course contractor from Bernardsville, New Jersey, who knew the Pulte family through his work at Oakland Hills and Bloomfield Hills country clubs. The new course was designed by Michigan architect Ray Hearn.

• New party space: A 17,000-square-foot Monarch ballroom with glass skylights and a 200-foot glass wall that will open to a courtyard with casual seating and fire pits. It can accommodate up to a 700-person reception or up to 1,500 seated attendees for activities including a concert, conference or speech. The 6,200-square-foot glass-walled pavilion, called the Garden Pavilion, is scheduled to open in June.

• What else is on site: An indoor swimming pool, a pub that replaced the pro golf shop. A wine bar and spa are planned.

• Who can marry in the chapel? The Saints Mary and Joseph Chapel on site remains a Catholic chapel that the Pulte foundation leases to the Archdiocese of Detroit. Catholic marriage ceremonies conducted in compliance with church law may be celebrated in the chapel.

• How the seminary buildings are being used: Two three-story seminary buildings that date back to the 1940s and overlook the golf course will be restored and expanded to frame the Monarch Ballroom and support those events with a big kitchen, additional breakout meeting rooms and bridal suites for wedding preparation.

• Is there housing on site? A part of one of the seminaries will be turned into efficiency apartments to provide 10 units for employees next year.

• Project timing: Renovations and building began in Fall 2021, ending in Spring 2024.

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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Saint John's Resort $50M renovation: What to know