Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit sells Inn at St. John to Pulte trust

The Inn at St. John in Plymouth, a seminary-turned-hotel and event venue, will no longer be owned by the Archdiocese of Detroit.

A Monday statement announced the Inn was purchased by Pulte Family Management, a for-profit entity of the William J. Pulte Trust. Details of the deal were not made available.

The purchase was made in part to honor William Pulte, the founder and chairman of PulteGroup, a real estate development and home construction company. Pulte, who died in 2018, was in a group of Catholic business leaders who helped finance and develop the seminary campus into a property with a hotel, conference center and golf course.

“The Inn at St. John’s was near and dear to my father’s heart,” Mark Pulte, William's son, said in a statement announcing the sale. “He was honored to work with Cardinal (Adam) Maida on the transformation of this beautiful property and to have played a role in its success. When the Archdiocese expressed interest in selling the property, my father’s estate was a natural choice. They knew that it would be in good hands.”

Under the deal, which closed Friday, the hotel and conference and reception spaces will continue to be made available for events. The golf course will remain open for daily tees.

The Pulte family will continue to operate under Catholic values, according to a statement on the deal. The Inn's chapel will remain available for Catholic weddings.

Allen Vigneron, archbishop of Detroit, said in a statement that the decision to sell was motivated by the challenges of operating a hotel and conference center during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when nonessential travel was largely discouraged.

“This purchase is yet another example of the Pulte family’s longstanding commitment to southeast Michigan and the local Church in Detroit,” Vigneron said.

Plans for the property include upgrades that have not yet been announced.

The property's first life with the Archdiocese began in 1948 as St. John's Provincial Seminary, which offered graduate-level theological education for priesthood candidates in cities including Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids.

St. John’s Provincial closed in 1988 when the Archdiocese designated Sacred Heart as its main seminary 

A new plan for the property was created in 1994, which ultimately led to the inn it has become today. The main buildings became The Inn at St. John’s Conference Center in 2000, and a grand ballroom with a capacity of 450 was added in 2005.

The Inn at St. John’s Hotel and 5ive Steakhouse opened in 2006.

St. John's nine-hole golf greens doubled in 1979 when they opened to the public and expanded again in the 1990s to 27 holes.

“My father would have loved this moment as he played a significant role in the vision for the campus from the beginning,” Mark Pulte said.

AHarring@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @alex_harring