Lake Placid Club facts for kids
The Lake Placid Club was a special club for fun and relaxation. It started in 1895 at a hotel on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, New York. Melvil Dewey, who also created the Dewey Decimal System for libraries, led the club. He wanted it to be a place where teachers could relax and get inspired. The club played a big part in making Lake Placid a famous vacation spot around the world.
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The Club's Beginnings and Growth
Melvil Dewey wanted the Lake Placid Club to be a healthy and inspiring place for educators. It was meant to be affordable for them. Under his guidance, the club became very famous for its winter sports. In 1907, they built a winter clubhouse. This meant people could visit Lake Placid all year round.
By 1923, the club was huge! It covered about 3,885 hectares (9,600 acres). It had 356 buildings, including 110 homes. The club also had its own theater, a library, and places for boats. There were 21 tennis courts and seven golf courses. It even had farms, its own fire department, and a school. This school is now known as Northwood School.
Fun Winter Sports and Events
Starting in the late 1920s, the club hosted exciting dogsled races. Top competitors, like Leonhard Seppala from Alaska, came to race. He won in 1929. The toboggan slides were also very popular. Newspapers in New York City even wrote about them.
The Lake Placid Conference
In September 1899, the club's leaders decided to hold a special meeting. They wanted to bring together people interested in home science, also called household economics. Many invitations were sent out for the first Lake Placid Conference. It took place from September 19 to 25, 1899.
One important person who attended was Ellen Swallow Richards. She helped start the modern domestic science movement. She was chosen to lead the conference. This conference happened every year from 1899 to 1907.
The Club's Role in the Olympics
The Lake Placid Club was a big center for skiing since the 1910s. Activities like ski-joring, which is skiing while being pulled by a horse or dog, were popular. Ski jumping, ice skating, and cross-country ski lessons were also offered.
Melvil Dewey's son, Godfrey, was key in bringing the Winter Olympics to Lake Placid in 1932. The club's amazing facilities and its national fame helped Lake Placid qualify to host the Games. Without the club, Lake Placid might not have been chosen.
In the 1930s, students from the Yale School of Drama performed plays. They put on shows at the club's Lakeside Theater during the summer.
Later Years and Closure
Over time, fewer people joined the club. Vacation styles changed, and wealthy families traveled more by air. They spent less time staying for a whole season at the club. By 1977, only 471 families renewed their membership. This was much less than the 711 families from the year before.
The club closed soon after the 1980 Winter Olympics. It served as the main office for the International Olympic Committee during those Games. In the 1990s, the club's buildings were often damaged by fires and vandalism. Its main buildings were torn down in January 2002. However, some of the smaller cottages were fixed up and are still there. The golf course also remains.
Rules About Who Could Join
For most of its history, the Lake Placid Club had strict rules about who could become a member or guest. These rules meant that certain groups of people were not allowed to join. The club stated that they would not accept anyone who might be unwelcome to even a small number of members. This rule was strictly followed.
Because of these rules, the club faced criticism. In 1904, people asked the New York State Board of Regents to remove Melvil Dewey from his job as State Librarian. This was because of his involvement in the club's policy of not allowing certain groups to join. The Regents did not remove Dewey, but they did publicly criticize him.
In 1954, a New York Times article also criticized the club for its rules. The B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League filed a complaint. This issue lasted several years, until the League decided to drop the charges in 1959. The club said its members wanted to vacation among people who shared their religious beliefs. The club was very strict about membership since Dewey's time. They did not serve alcohol in the dining room. They only accepted guests who were recommended by other members. These membership rules stayed in place until 1976.
Lake Placid Club in Florida
In 1926, Melvil Dewey opened a second club in Florida. It was in a town called Lake Stearns. Because of the club, the town was renamed Lake Placid. Today, this location is owned by the South Florida District of the Church of the Nazarene. They operate it as the Lake Placid Camp and Conference Center.
Dewey chose a special area in central Florida for his southern club. It was a ridge about 129 kilometers (80 miles) long and 30 to 91 meters (100 to 300 feet) high. Landowners offered Dewey 1,233 hectares (3,048 acres) of land in 1927. Dewey helped create a town charter, which changed the names of the town and some lakes. Lake Stearns became Lake June-in-Winter, and Lake Childs became Lake Placid.
A three-story building called Club "Loj" opened on December 1, 1927. It had 68 rooms. The club had a fire truck and a large water tank. Each room had two exits, and a night watchman patrolled regularly. The club offered great food and entertainment, including tennis and water sports. In its second year, a garage and a golf course were added. More buildings were constructed later.
The largest building, Club Loj, closed in the fifth year to save money. Melvil Dewey died on December 26, 1931, in one of the club's smaller buildings. The Florida club operated until 1942. It was sold at a public auction on October 17, 1942, to pay off its mortgage.
