Young was discouraged by the classic Greek, Roman, and Victorian architecture he was learning about and left school after only one year.

He wanted to build homes that fit into their landscape following a philosophy shared by Frank Lloyd Wright.

[2] Young bought a large piece of land on Lake Michigan from Mary Bartholomew in 1924.

Lots started at $100 and the first floor of any house that was built had to be made of stone, brick, or stucco.

It was heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and was the first of Young's homes to have a deemphasized, almost hidden entryway.

Young convinced the Coast Guard to haul it out in front Boulder Park and beach it.

Its only purpose was to act as a conversation piece, although, Lake Michigan's rough summer waves and harsh icy winters soon demolished the boat.

Building Boulder Manor was considered the turning point in Earl Young's architecture career.

He had the ability to remember the dimension and colors of hundred of boulders at the same time, over the span of many years.

[2] For many years he worked on other homes and on December 9, 1937, he regained possession of Boulder Manor, finishing it in 1939.

The front of the house is dominated by an arched window that gives a spectacular view of Lake Michigan.

[14] Around this time, Young convinced the community to demolish buildings that blocked the view of Round Lake from Bridge Street.

The roof was later changed to shingles to make maintenance easier, and the whitewash was removed from the stones.

The house is made of Onaway stone and the roof mimics the swells of the hills surrounding it.

The fireplace is composed of more Onaway stone[14] and the horizontal and vertical pieces come together to make two diagonal lines.

It has a steep, wavy roof and stops flat on the East side with a high chimney.

The boulder walls are three feet thick and the undulating roof had to be completed twice because the first time the shingles were put on in neat rows, not the chaotic, sweeping billows Young wanted.

The restaurant houses five fireplaces; the main one in the dining room is topped by a 18,260 pounds (9 short tons) boulder found by Young 26 years before.

The boulder is similar in shape to Michigan's lower peninsula and Young felt the lines bisecting it looked like the highways crisscrossing through the land.

[5][17] An 18,260 pound stone, the first time the boulder was put in place, the floor sank under the weight.

[18] For the Weathervane Terrace Motel, Young seems to have drawn influence from nearby Castle Farms, but he never admitted it.

The fireplace in the breakfast room is made of five huge stones that fit together like a perfect puzzle.

The flamboyant main fireplace uses the same stylized gulls as The Weathervane, and includes artistic homages to local landmarks.

Forty years later, he upended it where it sits today, proclaiming the beginning of Boulder Park.

He would work around trees instead of cutting them down and wanted the houses to be a harmonious part of the landscape instead of destroying or overshadowing it.

[22] His architecture from this time features open, flowing floor plans and the beginning of post and beam structures with light, glass walls.

His awkward, hallway-like kitchens have been remodeled in many homes to make them more accommodating as they were unworkable, something that Young did not care about or understand.

The wavy roofs connected uneven rafters with lath or sheathing, and multiple layers of cedar shakes.

"Another Storybook Style feature often employed by Young is the squat, cartoonish chimney that appears to be sagging and dripping with gingerbread-house frosting.

[23] The Charlevoix Historical Society's Harsha House Museum, 103 State Street, has an Earl Young exhibit.