Mountain View House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mountain View House
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Postcard of Mountain View House, c.1915
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | 101 Mountain View Rd., Whitefield, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 24 acres (9.7 ha) |
| Built | 1872, 1911-1912 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000588 |
| Added to NRHP | June 9, 2004 |
The Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa is a very old and fancy hotel in Whitefield, New Hampshire, United States. It used to be called the Mountain View House. People say it has been around since 1865.
This special hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical place in the country. It is also part of Historic Hotels of America, which is a group that helps protect old hotels.
The hotel started as a farm that began taking in guests. Today, the resort still has a farm with chickens, sheep, goats, and even Scottish Highland cattle. The Mountain View Grand also says it has the oldest working elevator in New Hampshire!
History of the Mountain View Grand
After the American Civil War ended, many people started visiting the White Mountains. It became even easier to visit when the railroad was built. In 1865, a couple named William and Mary Dodge started letting guests stay in their home.
By 1866, they officially opened their own inn called the Mountain View House. Over the years, they added more and more rooms. By 1884, the hotel could hold over 100 guests. In 1911 and 1912, they made the hotel much bigger, so it could hold over 200 guests. They also added the famous tower to the front of the building.
The Dodges kept making "The View," as it was known, even better. They almost doubled the number of beds to 300. The dining room could seat 450 people. They also added places for sports and meetings. The land around the hotel grew to more than 3,000 acres.
The Dodge family owned the hotel until 1979. This made it one of the oldest resorts in the U.S. to be owned by the same family living on the same property. However, the new owners did not do well. The hotel closed in 1986 after 122 seasons. All of its furniture was sold in 1989.
Bringing the Hotel Back to Life
The hotel stayed empty for many years. Then, in 1998, a builder named Kevin Craffey bought the hotel for $1.3 million. This included 360 acres of land, a golf course, and a meeting hall. He spent $20 million to fix up the hotel.
He added a new kitchen, a spa, and tennis courts. He also made the 141 rooms nicer and improved the gardens. The hotel reopened on May 22, 2002, as the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa. In 2005, a company called the American Financial Group bought the hotel and its land. This company owns other old luxury hotels.
The Mountain View House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. This shows how important its history is.
The Mountain View Grand Resort is also very good for the environment. It is an EPA Green Power Partner. This means it gets all its electricity from clean energy. It has a tall wind turbine next to the hotel. It also buys special energy credits from renewable sources. The resort has been called an "Environmental Champion" for its efforts to protect nature.
See also
In Spanish: Mountain View House para niños
