Tour Adirondack Great Camps September 16-20

An Architectural Tour of a Great Rustic Tradition

ADIRONDACK REGION, NY - Tour private and public Adirondack camps Sept. 16-20, 2010, led by experts in the field of architectural history and preservation, as well as local historians. This is a unique, behind-the-scenes look at this distinctive piece of America's architectural geography.

The Adirondack Park, a six million acre mixture of public and private lands and the largest park in the continental United States, was established in 1894. It includes vast forests, hundreds of mountains, thousands of lakes and ponds, and miles of wild and scenic rivers. Since 1885, the millions of acres of public land in the region have been protected as "forever wild" by the New York State constitution. During the late 19th century, sportsmen and others came to the Adirondacks seeking recreation and revitalization, eventually building camps, hotels, and other amenities. Resident builders and professional architects developed a rustic style of architecture that is defined by the use of a variety of local, natural materials so as to be in harmony with the rugged Adirondack landscape. Though best represented by a series of building complexes known as Great Camps, this building tradition has come to encompass an array of structures, from cottages, to commercial buildings to religious institutions.

The itinerary may include visits to the following sites and others, as well as evening lectures by professionals in the fields of Adirondack history and architecture.

Camp Pine Knot -Travel by boat to Long Point on Raquette Lake to this great camp once owned by Collis P. Huntington, one of the leading railroad men of the nineteenth century. You will have a guided tour of this National Historic Landmark owned by the State University of New York College at Cortland, Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education since 1949.

W.W. Durant cruise on Raquette Lake - After visiting Pine Knot enjoy an afternoon lunch and narrated two hour cruise on Raquette Lake.

Camp Sagamore - Enjoy a guided tour of Sagamore by the staff of this National Historic Landmark that is comprised of twenty-seven buildings, including an outdoor bowling alley. It was once the summer residence of the Alfred Vanderbilt family.

White Pine Camp - White Pine Camp is unique among the Adirondack "Great Camps" with its beautiful landscaping, distinctive rustic yet modern architecture and interesting history, including serving as President Calvin Coolidge's 1926 summer White House.

Camp Carolina - Camp Carolina was built in 1913 for Caesar Cone (1859-1917) of Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Cone was the founder and president of Proximity Manufacturing Company, which operated three denim mills around Greensboro.

Accommodations will be at the Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid. The cost is $1900/pp (double occupancy) and $2300 (single occupancy) For further information or to arrange for your group tour, please call Susan Arena, AARCH Program Director at (518) 834-9328, or send an email to susan@aarch.org or visit our website at www.aarch.org. Book early to guarantee your reservation.

Adirondack Architectural Heritage
AARCH is the non-profit, historic preservation organization for the Adirondack Park. We offer wonderful day-long guided tours to the most intriguing places in the region, including its Great Camps, industrial and military sites, diverse communities and institutions.

AARCH received funding for this program from the Cultural Tourism Initiative, a project of the Arts and Business Council of New York, and the New York State Council on the Arts.