Local businessman Jacob Baer began the construction of this commercial block in 1907 or 1908. However, he was unable to complete construction, and sold the partially finished building to the Kalevan Retaret, a Finnish society. The Kalevan Retaret, or Knights of Kaleva, was a secret society begun in 1898 in Belt, Montana and named after the Kalevala, a collection of epic Finnish poems. The organization was intended to preserve and promote Finnish culture; it quickly spread from Montana to the Finnish miners in the Keweenaw, with a chapter that started in Hancock in 1899 and moved to South Range in 1904. The Kalevans finished the building in 1910 and christened it the Kaleva Temple.

When originally finished, the Temple housed three commercial offices on the first floor and a Finnish social hall on the second floor. Later tenants of the building included the Sons of Italy, a dentist's office, a theater, a restaurant, an opera house, a hardware store, the justice of the peace, and the U.S. Post Office, which was located there from 1915 to 1977.

We have taken this commercial unit and transformed it into a large apartment perfect for nightly and weekly rentals. We look forward to continuing our growth with this unit and providing a great place to stay while you visit the area!