#bookevent: From Cheap Old Houses to Hosting Magical Events, We visited the Farrand Hall
We took a break from the concert scene to find ourselves in a good story but to find a good story we need a house to sit back in. That’s when we got invited to check out a home in Colon, Michigan—a small town known to be the “Magic Capital” of the world, which hosts a one-of-a-kind 1854 Greek Revival farmhouse filled with magic and charm and good food. This invitation wasn’t just a walk-around experience but a chance to chat with not only the owners of the building but also the authors who dare to bring the owner’s magic and charm home to life in their newest book.
Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein started the Instagram account Cheap Old Houses in 2016 to uncover hidden gems across America for under $100,000. They’ve garnered millions of followers and grown their brand into a HGTV show and a newsletter. Now they are also proud new owners of Cheap Old Houses: An Unconventional Guide to Loving and Restoring a Forgotten Home a picturesque novel. This book features dozens of homes across the Eastern half of the US and the stories that brought many of these new homeowners a chance to own a piece of history. The page of our story starts on 86, where we are introduced to James and Jacob’s home better known as the Farrand Hall.
Owners Jacob Hagan and James Gray have created a community around this historic property. Originally purchased as a weekend getaway from their Chicago professional lives, it quickly became more than that. “We started hosting small events to bring life to the house and property that had been missing for years,” says Jacob. “The events took off and we knew something special was being born.”
Situated on a historic 12-acre estate in south Michigan, Farrand Hall celebrates preservation, local farm-to-table food, and community. Not a restaurant, Farrand Hall is a dining experience – hosting events for guests to gather and connect at one long communal table. Spotlighting some of the top chefs in the Midwest and beyond, the Guest Chef Series invites culinary artists to cook, collaborate, and celebrate the best of Michigan’s seasonal bounty. The heart of Farrand Hall is bringing people together and enjoying real human connection over food.
We arrive at the Farrand Hall with chickens roaming around and guests who are getting an exclusive sneak peek of what will happen later on that night. This event hosted by Ethan and Elizabeth was part of a mini-book event series and what better way to host a book event than at one of the locations from their book? With a glass of sparkling wine, we were first introduced to James and Jacob at the start of the tour. “We started hosting small events to bring life to the house and property that had been missing for years,” says Jacob. “But James is the one who works with the chiefs, I just decorate.” We couldn’t have it any other way as Farrand Hall was filled with not only eclectic finds that took years to gather but memories brought to life with each turn we took.
The start of the adventure began at the front of the door where the guest first heard about the significance of the pink door and what to expect once inside and from there we dove deep into the history of the building. Look around each room to find those treasures once mentioned in conversation and the reality of seeing the images of the book come to life. After exploring the home, we finally had a chance to chat with Ethan and Elizabeth who were in the brightly yellow living room amongst taxidermy birds and a Zeus head statute on top of the radiator.
I'm curious to know in terms of like, why you chose to branch into the literary world. You went from posting on Instagram to then having a show. Why else would you make the jump into writing a book?
Elizabeth: I’ve always wanted to write a book. I think, the sort of slowness and sort of how in depth you can get into a book has always appealed to me. Instagram is great for what it is, I mean, writing quick email captions for photos is amazing to get the word out very quickly. But our movement of Cheap Little Houses and people buying these homes is so rich and has so many layers.
And it was really great to be able to delve deeply into the stories to show one other side of this movement going on in book form.
Ethan: I'll just kind of expand a little bit, like I think, showing people a different interior design book that isn't so perfect, was always really important to us in a book that is filled with not just interior design projects.
But homeowners who are really taking on these houses and making them really beautiful and doing it affordably. No one in the book is featured that has a super expensive house. Which a lot of interior design books are focused on, very expensive houses and projects. And they're all homeowners, they're not interior designers.
So we just wanted to inspire the regular everyday person who might have one of these houses, and just need a little kick in the pants to make their house look amazing.
Elizabeth: From an interior design perspective, I think what's also really fun about it is, I think the way that a lot of people think about old houses is that they have to I have to do it right, “I have to do it perfect'“, I have to do it, you know, true to the house and make it look like a museum.
And I think the variety and the personality in all the houses in this book are really fun. These are not people who have just been purists in the way that they've worked with their house, but they're expressive and they're collected and it just goes to show that there's not one way to do an old house, but you can really make it your own.
So, I'm curious in terms of the selection of the house to be featured in your book. When it comes to picking houses, what draws you into certain houses? For example, there just so happens to be three homes feature in Michigan.
Elizabeth: We organized the table of contents by dream. We kind of settled on that. We were like, alright, what? Because this really is about dreams and people changing or seeing, envisioning their life in a different way through some sort of house.
And we find that there is a collection of people that will buy a crazy mansion in the middle of nowhere and fix it up. And those people are amazing and just fascinating. And there's people who dream of having a little cabin in the woods, and there's that. And then there's people who You want a farmhouse, that was us.
People who live in time capsules, that they're never going to change the kitchen. That's like a period 1930s kitchen, and they're very set on keeping it that way. So there's all these different kind of dreams and types of people, um, that buy cheap old houses. There's really not just one kind of person.
And so We thought about that and then we kind of cast it in a way. People that we knew that were really, really living those dreams through their homes. Um, and then we tried, it was hard because we wanted a variety of people, we wanted a variety of stories. We wanted all different ages, all types of people.
We wanted to show the diversity in this movement and show that this is really something that anybody can do. A diversity of incomes, a diversity of um, House styles.
I mentioned earlier, there were three spots in Michigan, and one of them that we're currently in now. When it came to picking this home to be featured in the book as well as on this book tour event, how did that idea kind of form?
Elizabeth: This house in particular and this area I think exemplifies the farmhouse dream. And it's one thing to say I'm going to leave the city and go live somewhere. It's a whole other thing to be able to financially make it possible.
And what James and Jacob have done Is, is exactly that. They came here, they fell in love with the house, and they thought we want to make this work, and through this house, they figured out a whole other business, how to work with the property, and I think that is because money ultimately is what moves so many people back from being able to do this dream, and if you can get creative with financing, and do interesting things, and work with your property, You can really make it work. And so, I think that this was a story that we felt really had to be told
You know @CheapOldHouses — the addictive social media phenomenon with nearly 3 million followers. Well, it inspired a new HGTV series called Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?, which will showcase what it's like to actually renovate stunning historic homes.
Who's Afraid of a Cheap Old House? premieres Tuesday, May 14, at 10|9c. Led by historic preservationist Elizabeth Finkelstein and her husband Ethan Finkelstein, a budget-conscious historic build expert, the show will appeal to bargain hunters who dream of owning a classic home (affordably priced at under $150,000) with features like antique fireplaces, original wood floors, leaded glass windows, vintage appliances and inviting front porches.
“Saving these houses isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s worth it,” says Elizabeth. “Our cheap old house movement caught fire on social media. Now, we’re taking buyers house hunting so they can buy and restore a cheap old house of their own.”
“Saving these houses isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s worth it,” says Elizabeth. “Our cheap old house movement caught fire on social media. Now, we’re taking buyers house hunting so they can buy and restore a cheap old house of their own.”
What's the New Series About?
During each of the eight episodes, the Finkelsteins will take potential buyers on tours of two listings — including homes of both traditional and out-of-the-box styles — brimming with history and unique architecture.
Ethan and Elizabeth will guide hopeful homebuyers through the emotional highs and lows of not only purchasing, but also preserving, real estate steals. Once the buyers choose their ideal project, the Finkelsteins, along with interior designer Jennifer Salvemini and architectural designer Scott Reed, will help them overhaul the forgotten places into beautifully restored gems that feature contemporary elements.
Situated on a historic 12-acre estate in south Michigan, Farrand Hall celebrates preservation, local farm-to-table food and community. Not a restaurant, Farrand Hall is a dining experience – hosting events for guests to gather and connect at one long communal table. Spotlighting some of the top chefs in the Midwest and beyond, the Guest Chef Series invites culinary artists to cook, collaborate and celebrate the best of Michigan’s seasonal bounty. The heart of Farrand Hall is bringing people together and enjoying real human connection over food.
Located in Colon, Michigan, owners Jacob Hagan and James Gray have created a community around this historic property. Originally purchased as a weekend getaway from their Chicago professional lives, it quickly became more than that. “We started hosting small events to bring life to the house and property that had been missing for years,” says Jacob. “The events took off and we knew something special was being born.”
Farrand Hall invites guests to dine differently. “We’re not a traditional restaurant, in fact, we are not a restaurant at all,” says James. “We offer one menu, and everyone eats together – it’s like one big dinner party at our house.” Elevating the dining experience is Executive Chef Dont’e Shaw, who brings his Michelin-starred restaurant experience to the small town. “We’re focused on modern homestead cooking at Farrand Hall,” says Chef Dont’e. “From open fire cooking to fermentation and pickling, we are paying homage to the history of the property and how people cooked in the mid to late 1800’s, just modernizing it.”
Now, six years later, the property is transitioning to a private dining location, where some of the Midwest’s top chefs come to cook. “Working in the hospitality industry for years, I’ve been connected with so many chefs & restaurants,” says James. “I thought, why not invite them for a different experience – so that’s what we did and created the Guest Chef Series.” Every Saturday through May – October, Farrand Hall hosts a different award-winning chef from the Midwest and select cities throughout the country. From James Beard nominated & awarded to Michelin-starred, guests can experience some of the top talent from the Midwest region.
Dining at Farrand Hall is one aspect, but the history and property is another. This grand historic home was built by Henry K. Farrand in 1854, modeled after his aunt’s residence in Philadelphia featuring an influence of Federal architecture. In 1972, Farrand Hall was placed on The National Register of Historic Places and added to Michigan’s List of Historic Sites. Jacob and James purchased the home in 2017 and have spent years developing the property and gardens, all while maintaining its original charm. “The property is magical,” says Jacob. “It’s a private, park-like setting in the summer months with mature maple, oak, pine and walnut trees across the landscape and over 300 flowering daffodils in the spring.” In the past seven years, they’ve added two buildings - the black and white barns - to the property to accommodate growth. “The goal with the buildings was to keep it simple and feel like part of the property while designing the interiors to have a historic slightly European feel,” says Jacob. “The white barn serves as a lounge area for pre- and post-dinner drinks, while the black barn accommodates the open-air kitchen and dining room for our indoor events.”
Farrand Hall’s one long table dining experience is an ode to community. “Guests that dine with us make friends instantly and love experiencing our meals like one big family,” says James. “The dinners are an intimate, five-course tasting menu that is communal and casual. We work closely with local farms to use the freshest, seasonal ingredients, showcasing the best of Michigan’s agriculture.” For the Guest Chef Series, they open their doors to some of the top chefs in the Midwest and country. “We have many James Beard award winning chefs and Michelin-starred restaurants from Detroit to Chicago host dinners at Farrand Hall,” says James. “We love being a stage for culinary talent and giving our guests the unique opportunity of experiencing these chefs’ creations.”
Supporting that local agriculture is Farrand Farm, Jacob & James’ 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to be the hub for education and learning on the topics of local food systems, culinary training and sustainable practices in food. “We’re passionate about how we can impact how we eat, our health and create strong economic systems around food,” says James. “In addition to providing programming that affects our community, we’re excited to offer internships for new chefs so they can understand the complete chain of food production.” Farrand Farm was founded in 2023 and provides programming that affects the Colon community in a positive way while supporting the southern part of Michigan that is rich in agriculture large and small.
“We bought this property as a weekend escape from the city and found a community that we’re honored to be a part of,” says Jacob. “Farrand Hall is our home, and we love being able to welcome our neighbors to experience it with us through food.”
Farrand Hall is located at 58522 Farrand Rd, Colon, MI 49040. Priced at $90 per person, weekly dinners are offered every Wednesday – Friday, year-round and Guest Chef Dinners are scheduled every Saturday, May – October, both from 6:30-8:30 pm. For more information and/or to purchase tickets for weekly dinners and Guest Chef Series, visit www.farrandhall.com.
