Another building commissioned by the US Government in Mackinac Island, the Indian Dormitory Art Museum is a pioneering idea for housing settlements for Native Americans in the United States. This structure was built in 1838, after the suggestion of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft that by offering such an alternative, the Indians could be convinced into selling their land to the government.

The plan worked out fine, until the agreement expired and the Indians stopped going to Mackinac Island. The Indian Dormitory then lost its original purpose, so, in 1867, it was turned into a public school for the island?s kids. It functioned as such until 1960, when the wooden building became too old to be fit for the school safety standards.

The building was then purchased by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and turned it into the Indian Dormitory Art Museum featuring the structure?s main function through the years. In 2010, after being rebuilt, it was opened as the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum.