Rowleys Bay Resort owners will sell Door County property instead of rebuild following devastating fire
Rowleys Bay Resort, which was heavily damaged in a Sept. 5 fire, will not be rebuilt by its current owners, and they will sell it instead.
Jewel and Bob Ouradnik announced Friday their initial instinct was to "repair and rebuild" the Ellison Bay property but as time passed and emotions subsided they realized "it is time for someone else to carry on and build their own dreams."
"We have met with our commercial real estate agent and have already started conversations with prospective buyers," they wrote.
The fire affected the resort, Grandma’s Swedish Bakery, Rowley’s Pub and Rowleys Bay Restaurant, all located at 1041 County Road ZZ. Jewel Ouradnik originally said she hoped the businesses would be back open by spring and was working on restocking their gift shop.
However, they wrote, "at nearly 62 and 70 years of age, we now see the opportunity to retire and enjoy each other and our family."
Rowleys Bay Resort was founded in 1948 along the county's northernmost cove on its east coast.
The Ouradniks recounted how during the 53 years the land had been linked to the Peterson family the property had grown with a lot of hard work. What was a "rundown fishing camp" developed into a resort they called Wagon Trail Resort in 1970 before reverting back to its original name in 2010 "to embrace our history and heritage."
"We’re looking forward to the next chapter at Rowleys Bay, and are so grateful for the time we had here on the bay," they wrote.
The asking price for the property was not disclosed.
In 2016, the property was placed for sale at an auction site with a list price of $3.75 million. The opening bid was set at $2,850,000. However, no sale was completed.
According to that listing, the property features included 700 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline, as well as a 65,000-square-foot main lodge. The lodge included many rooms and suites, with some featuring two or three bedrooms and full kitchens.
Additional lodge features included the Rowleys Bay Restaurant, Grandma's Swedish Bakery, Rowleys Pub, a library stocked with books and magazines, fitness room, game room, indoor pool, whirlpool and more.
The property featured five cottages.
Overall, Rowleys Bay Resort had 73 units available for rent at the time of the fire, according to Destination Door County.
Eight employees at the resort lost everything in the fire because they were living there. In an effort to benefit them, and the other employees who lost their job, a GoFundMe fundraiser was set up. Nearly $37,000 had been raised as of Monday afternoon, topping its $25,000 goal.
Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or kdittman@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Rowleys Bay Resort up for sale in Door County following fire
