| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| James N. |
Posted - December 24 2012 : 11:55:17 AM
The most famous and photographed building in the complex known collectively as Sagamore Lodge is the Main Lodge itself, built in the distinctive "Adirondack" style in 1896 by William Woods Durant; resembling a woodsy Alpine chalet, the three-and-a-half story lodge has been much imitated over the years. Developer Durant, who originally built Sagamore for himself, was a pioneer in the deliberately "rustic" architectural style that featured natural log construction and exterior facings of birchbark, branches, and twigs. Often, as here at Sagamore, these masked "modern" construction methods and materials, most of which required shipping by rail to the nearest town with station facilities; many craftsmen were likewise imported. This all made the construction costs far above the reach of the "average" citizen of the 1890's.
Durant himself only enjoyed his masterpiece until 1901, going bankrupt through his various Adirondack projects due to the uncertain economic times. He sold Sagamore, the lake, and 1526 acres of surrounding forest land to Alfred G. Vanderbilt, great-grandson of the fabulously wealthy "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who spent his honeymoon here in 1901. Vanderbilt family members continued to visit Sagamore until mid-century. Most of the surrounding land has since become part of Adirondack State Park, but the Lodge area itself is owned and maintained by a private corporation, Sagamore Institute.
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The Main Lodge building seen in early morning sunlight.
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Early-morning steam can be seen rising from Sagamore Lake behind the lodge.
Though intended, unlike some of the other Adirondack Great Camps, for year-round occupancy, the lodge building is NOT a self-sufficient habitation; it's more like a large dormitory, containing mainly bedrooms of varying sizes with central heat provided by radiators, bathrooms with indoor plumbing, and a communal room built around a large stone fireplace.
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The log table and the chairs are supposedly original to the lodge.
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One of the larger rooms available for overnight guests; it's probably lost its original furniture, sold off when the family finally left in the post-WWII years.
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I occuppied "Nanny's Room" ( surely you didn't expect that the Vanderbilt's would actually take care of their children themselves, did you? ), a snug room on the top floor right beneath the wide eaves. A view from the small window:
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| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - December 24 2012 : 4:12:51 PM
As always James - a great post. |
| James N. |
Posted - December 24 2012 : 1:14:14 PM
Alfred Vanderbilt had inherited his vast wealth so could devote himself to spending it! A natural builder, he also continued to expand Sagamore Lodge by adding to the many buildings Durant had already erected. Of course an operation of this size also required a small army of as many as 40 employees in peak times: butlers, valets, domestic servants, cooks, groundskeepers, and other personnel, some of whom lived on the premisis year-round. Their children grew up here, attending school in the nearby village of Raquette Lake.
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View of Durant's central or "lower" original building group; the Main Lodge is almost hidden by the trees at left. The dining complex is at center, with laundry buildings at right. Several of the structures were for dedicated purposes like these instead of crowding these mundane activities into the "living" spaces.
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Two views of the "new" laundry ( seen above behind the tree ), showing well its bark facing:
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Despite the size of the Main Lodge, Alfred Vanderbilt continued to add additional lodging; even following his untimely death as a passenger on the Lusitania during WWI, his widow carried on the practice.
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The Wigwam, another bark-faced structure, dates between 1901 - 1914.
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Alfred's Cottage, at left, wasn't added until 1937; the Main Lodge is barely visible in the background. Family members continued to spend summer vacations at Sagamore until after WWII, often hosting famous persons of the times; among the guests: General John J. Pershing, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Averell Harriman, actor Gary Cooper and actress Gene Tierney.
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The massive "Men's Camp" or Chalet dates from 1915 and stands at the extreme end of the complex near the parking lot, opposite and at some distance from the Main Lodge. Walking is required here, as cars are not allowed in the historical area.
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Relaxing before the fire in another of the recreation buildings before an outdoor campfire sing-along. Unfortunately, I neglected to photograph another of the most famous of these recreational structures, the covered outdoor bowling alley. Suffice it to say that along with the Vanderbilts, this is also MY idea of "Roughing It"!
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