ADIRONDACK ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE NEWSLETTER VOLUME 20 NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2012 AARCH ANNUAL MEETING: AUSABLE CLUB Thursday, June 21 Join us at the Ausable Club in St. Huberts on Thursday, June 21, for our 22nd annual meeting. In addition to conducting AARCH business we will recognize10-year members. Our guest speaker will be Jim Herman, who is a retired management consultant who lives in Keene, NY. His specialty was strategic planning in high-tech companies. He and his partner Dave Mason are responsible for the current series of workshops on The Future of the Adirondack Park. The Adirondack Mountain Reserve was established in 1887 as a stockholder preserve. The AMR did not have its own lodge until it purchased St. Huberts Inn in 1906 to serve as the main hotel for the club. The building remains, decades later, the focal point of the property, centered among individually built cottages, and amenities that include a 9-hole golf course. This is a rare opportunity to visit this spectacular site. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. and ends around 3 p.m. and is free to AARCH members and guests. As with all of our events, unless otherwise noted, reservations are required by contacting AARCH. Shelburne Farms, created in 1886 by William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb, is one of the sites we’ll be visiting on our fascinating Beyond the Blue Line: The Webbs of Shelburne tour. See page 11 for more information. (Photo courtesy of Shelburne Farms) Welcome to another season of exciting and unique events. Though we add several new outings each year, there are many wonderful sites that we have been fortunate enough to have had access to for many years. These include, among others, Tahawus, Big Moose and Valcour Island. Unfortunately, properties change hands or, as with the Land of Makebelieve, Mother Nature intervenes, making our connections somewhat tenuous or severing them altogether. A place’s availability could change very quickly, so don't miss out on these opportunities while they last. Photo courtesy of The Ausable Club website We look forward to seeing you this summer. Unless otherwise identified all photos are from AARCH. AARCH office hours are 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday Phone: (518) 834-9328 Fax: (518) 834-9225 Address: 1745 Main St., Keeseville, NY 12944 Email: [email protected] TOUR RESERVATIONS REGISTRATION POLICY The tour registration policy will be the same lottery process that was introduced last year. We will be taking reservation requests by telephone, mail, email, fax, and in person from the time that the events schedule is distributed to our members in April, until Monday, May 14, 2012 at noon. At that time, the early AARCH member reservation window will close. All requests will then be placed into a hopper and randomly drawn. Requests will be honored in the order they are chosen. People will be notified within several days of the drawing as to which events they have reservations for. Reservations received after May 14 at noon, from members and non-members will be honored in the order they are received. AARCH tours, workshops, and special events are led by scholars, professionals, and knowledgeable volunteers. They are enjoyable learning experiences and help raise funds to support our preservation mission. In planning your outing with us, please keep in mind the following: • Advance registration is required for all events unless otherwise noted. Attendance is limited and events are filled by the process described above. Making requests while the early AARCH member reservation window is open is highly recommended. If a tour fills up, we recommend placing your name on our waiting list, as periodically we get cancellations. Once we receive notice of a cancellation, we notify those on the waiting list in the order that their reservations have been received. • Prompt payment following confirmation of your reservations is appreciated. Mail your check to AARCH, 1745 Main Street, Keeseville, NY 12944. Refunds will be given to those unable to attend an event only if we are notified at least two business days prior to the event date. • We cannot accept more than four reservations per membership per tour. • To avoid duplications please include the names of the other people in your party, when possible. • Out of respect for property owners who are generous enough to allow us to tour their properties, please leave all pets at home. • Many tours require a fair amount of walking or exertion. Be sure you are physically able to participate in the outing as described. • Unless otherwise noted, you are required to bring your own lunch and beverage. • Our events are held rain or shine. Dress for the variable weather conditions by wearing or bringing proper attire. NEW EXHIBIT AT THE AARCH GALLERY ADIRONDACK STYLE - A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION Opening Reception: Friday, June 29, 5-7 p.m. AARCH’s Clayton Family Resource Center and Gallery, 1745 Main Street, Keeseville Adirondack Style: Great Camps and Rustic Lodges was published in 2011 by Rizzoli. With photography by f-stop Fitzgerald and Richard McCaffrey and text by Lynn Woods and Jane Mackintosh, it explores the architecture, design, and natural beauty of the region’s rustic camps. These made brilliant use of the rustic materials readily available in the area—rough-hewn logs, stone, tree roots, twigs, and bark—to create beautiful exteriors and sometimes lavish and elegant interior spaces. They were often designed by prominent architects, were executed by talented local builders, and many had boathouses, teahouses, game rooms, and bowling alleys. This exhibit features thirty stunning photographs from the book. 2 Rare Opportunity SPECIAL EVENTS Photos courtesy of f-stop Fitzgerald, BENEFIT EVENT AT CAMP WINNETASKA Adirondack Style UPPER ST. REGIS LAKE Saturday, August 4 Camp Winnetaska was built for Mr. and Mrs. Augustus W. Durkee of New York City beginning in 1897. At that time the camp was only accessible by water, with the first automobile arriving in 1917. The camp features several intact original buildings set on the shores of Upper St. Regis Lake, which has long been known for its Idem boat races. Guests of the benefit will be lucky enough to see one of these historic races. The day will include refreshments, hors d’ oeuvres, and a silent auction. The event begins at 1 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. The fee is $100 per person. GOLF TOURNAMENT TO BENEFIT AARCH SARANAC INN GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB Country Club website Monday, August 27 Photo and quotation courtesy of Saranac Inn Golf and Join us for our fourth annual golf tournament. This year’s event will be held at Saranac Inn Golf and Country Club., which was once part of the famous Saranac Inn Resort. The course was founded at the turn of the last century and designed by renowned Scottish born pro Seymour Dunn. The day will feature a buffet lunch followed by a round of golf with cart; and the opportunity to win great prizes. The format is a four-man scramble with shot gun start. The fee is $100 per player. “From the bent grass tees to the tight lush fairways to the deep bunkered undulating greens, the Saranac Inn has a reputation as one of the most carefully maintained and challenging resort courses in the northeast.” Photo courtesy of Top of the World website 3 2012 AARCH AWARDS LUNCHEON TOP OF THE WORLD GOLF RESORT, LAKE GEORGE Monday, September 24 This year we are pleased to present our annual AARCH Preservation Awards at Top of the World Golf Resort. This is our opportunity to recognize the hard- working and committed homeowners and organizations who recognize the value of our historic structures and diligently protect them. Sited at the top of French Mountain, Top of the World Resort offers some of the most spectacular views in the region. Established by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Tuttle in 1926 as a sophisticated retreat, it boasted a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, and riding stables. The beauty and elegance of the original resort have been restored and in 2006 nine new holes were added to the course. Our luncheon will be held at the Farmhouse Restaurant, where chef Kevin London incorporates the bounty of the resort’s organic farm into inspired cuisine. The luncheon starts at noon and ends around 3 p.m. The fee is $40 per person. TOURS VALCOUR ISLAND Thursday, June 14 Valcour Island lighthouse Adirondack The waters surrounding Valcour Island in Lake Champlain were Great Camp the scene of the Battle of Valcour, an important naval battle during the Revolutionary War. Here in October 1776, a small colonial fleet under the command of Benedict Arnold engaged the British fleet. During the 19th century, the island was briefly home to a fledgling “free-love” colony and, in 1874, a lighthouse was built on it. The island is now part of the Forest Preserve and the PRESERVING CAMP lighthouse is being restored by the Clinton County Historical Association. We will travel by boat to the island for a four-mile SANTANONI interpretive hike with AARCH’s Steven Engelhart and naturalist Thursday, June 28 David Thomas-Train. The tour begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends around 3:30 p.m. The fee is $40 for AARCH and CCHA members and $50 for non-members. Santanoni was built for Robert and Anna Pruyn of Albany beginning in 1892. The estate eventually included 12,900 There will be a second tour on September 17. acres and nearly four-dozen buildings. Led by AARCH staff, the tour will include stops at the Gate Lodge, Santanoni’s 200 -acre farm, and the Main Camp on Newcomb Lake where INSIDE DANNEMORA PRISON we’ll see the ongoing restoration of the camp complex and learn first hand about the conservation planning and Wednesday, June 27 restoration work.