A breath of fresh ‘Aria’

Weddings, events to resume at Whitcomb’s rebranded venue

By JULIANA KNOT

HP Staff Writer

ST. JOSEPH — A St. Joseph landmark will once again host weddings and events this summer.

The Whitcomb Senior Living Community will reopen its veranda, rooftop and gardens under the name Aria, with an open house to showcase renovations on April 22.

Formerly known as the Veranda, the senior living facility and former hotel shut down events because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Owners Navneet Kaur and Prabhjot Singh, who bought the building in January 2022, said they wanted to get adjusted to running the senior living portion before jumping into events.

“Our first, main priority was to make sure that we have good control over the day-to-day operations and making sure we’re at a place where we can take on another endeavor,” Singh said.

Once they got settled – which they credited to their staff – the couple started taking a look at the building. The total footprint of The Whitcomb is nearly 160,000 square feet. Just shy of 30,000 square feet of that is event space, which wasn’t being used. Singh said they brainstormed ideas and came up with the concept of Aria.

The name “Aria” means air, which Kaur said fit the outdoor space overlooking Lake Michigan. Aria is also the name of the venue where Kaur and Singh were married.

“Air is also related to melody and sound, and with the breeze of Lake Michigan and the space we’re in, it just seemed like that was the perfect fit,” Naur said.

The rooftop and veranda are both able to hold 250 guests, and the garden can accommodate 120 guests for an outdoor ceremony.

“That’s the advantage we can offer,” said Laura Martin, director of marketing and events. “Not only just the priceless views and everything else, but that we can tailor things to want people would want. If they want to do (a ceremony) on the rooftop or have cocktails in the garden, we can shift things around.”

The April 22 open house will be from 1-4 p.m., and The Whitcomb’s exclusive and recommended caterers will be there to answer questions. Aria’s Marine Bar, named for the bar that used to operate in the hotel, will handle beverages. The venues are now available for booking, and there could be weddings again as early as August.

See WHITCOMB, page A6

From left, co-owners Prabhjot Singh and Navneet Kaur, join Laura Martin, director of marketing and events, as they walk through the veranda at The Whitcomb Senior Living Community in downtown St. Joseph. The Whitcomb is again offering its expansive space for weddings and events.

Photos by Don Campbell / HP staff

The Whitcomb Senior Living Community in downtown St. Joseph is reopening its veranda, rooftop and gardens under the name Aria with an open house to showcase renovations on April 22.

From page A1

A historic space

Kaur and Singh surveyed residents about bringing back events before making the decision, with the majority of those staying at The Whitcomb saying they were excited to see weddings make a comeback.

Kaur said residents enjoy peeking through their windows at the events as a way to reminisce about their own weddings.

The National Park Service and the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office designated The Whitcomb as a historic site in October 2021. Nearly a century old, the hotel boasted clientele that included President Teddy Roosevelt, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, baseball player Joe DiMaggio and notorious gangster Al Capone.

The Whitcomb is also a sister hotel to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Kaur said.

Since Kaur and Singh have become owners of the building, they began a series of repairs. The roof has been completely replaced, and crews are working on tuck pointing and caulking the windows. They’re planning for renovations to the garden, veranda and rooftop, which they said will be finished before the open house.

The Whitcomb has a new website for its event space at ariawhitcomb.com.

Contact: jknot@TheHP.com, 9320360, Twitter: @knotjuliana

Original wallpaper is pictured in one of the towers undergoing renovations at The Whitcomb Senior Living Community in downtown St. Joseph.

Don Campbell / HP staff