Santanoni Preserve facts for kids
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Camp Santanoni
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 Location in New York
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| Location | Newcomb Lake |
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| Nearest city | Newcomb, New York |
| Area | 12,990 acres (52.6 km2) |
| Architect | Robertson, Robert H.; Delano & Aldrich |
| MPS | Great Camps of the Adirondacks TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 86002955 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 03, 1987 |
| Designated NHL | May 16, 2000 |
The Santanoni Preserve is a huge area of land, about 13,000 acres, located in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains in New York. It used to be a private estate, like a giant vacation home with lots of land. Now, it belongs to the State of New York and is a special place for everyone to visit.
Contents
The History of Santanoni Preserve
How Santanoni Began
The Santanoni Preserve was first created by a man named Robert C. Pruyn. He was a rich banker and businessman from Albany. In the late 1800s, he bought about 12,900 acres of land. This land was just south of the tall Adirondack High Peaks mountains.
Mr. Pruyn hired a famous architect, Robert H. Robertson, to design his summer home. This home would become a large group of buildings.
New Owners and a Sad Story
After Robert C. Pruyn's family owned Santanoni for many years, they sold it in 1953. The new owners were the Melvin family from Syracuse, New York. They enjoyed the camp for almost 20 more years.
In 1971, something sad happened. An eight-year-old boy named Douglas Legg, who was one of the Melvins' grandchildren, disappeared in the forest. He was never found. Because of this tragedy, the family decided they didn't want to return to the camp.
They quickly sold the entire Santanoni Preserve. It was bought by the Adirondack Conservancy Committee, which is part of The Nature Conservancy. The furniture was taken out of the buildings. Then, the Conservancy sold the property to the State of New York. It became part of the State Forest Preserve.
What Happened Next
For about 20 years, the buildings at Camp Santanoni were not taken care of very well. This was because the state planned to remove the buildings. The idea was to let the Santanoni Preserve return to a "forever wild" condition. This is a rule in the New York State Constitution for wilderness areas.
Exploring Camp Santanoni
Camp Santanoni is a group of about 45 buildings within the Santanoni Preserve. It was one of the very first "Great Camps of the Adirondacks." These were large, fancy vacation homes built by wealthy families. Today, Camp Santanoni is known as the Camp Santanoni Historic Area. It is also a National Historic Landmark, which means it's a very important historical place. When it was finished, Camp Santanoni was thought to be the grandest of all the Adirondack camps.
Parts of Camp Santanoni
Camp Santanoni has three main areas of buildings:
- The Gate Lodge complex
- The farm complex
- The Main Camp
The buildings for the Main Camp were built in 1892–93 by Robert H. Robertson. The farm buildings were designed around 1902 by Edward Burnett, a top farm designer. The Gate Lodge was designed in 1905 by William Adams Delano.
The Gate Lodge Complex
The Gate Lodge complex is located at the edge of the small town of Newcomb. It has an impressive Gate Lodge with a huge stone archway. This building had six bedrooms for staff. There was also a home for the caretaker, and many barns and sheds for wagons and other things.
The Farm Complex
The farm complex is about a mile further into the estate. It had very large barns and three farmhouses. There were also cottages for workers. Other buildings included a stone creamery (where milk products were made), a workshop, a chicken house, kennels for dogs, a smokehouse, and a root cellar.
Santanoni had a huge farm. It had many different kinds of animals, like cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens. It was probably the biggest farm ever connected to a family estate in the Adirondacks. The farm provided all the meat and vegetables for the camp. Any extra milk products were sold in Newcomb or sent to Albany for the Pruyn family and their friends. Even today, some people in Newcomb still have milk bottles with "Santanoni" written on them!
The Main Camp
The Main Camp is about 4.7 miles from the Gate Lodge complex. It is deeper into the estate, right on the shore of Newcomb Lake. From here, you can see amazing views of the Adirondack High Peaks.
The main lodge building was actually six separate buildings connected together. There was a main living and dining lodge with two bedrooms upstairs. There were four sleeping cabins with a total of seven bedrooms. And there was a kitchen and service building with seven staff bedrooms. All these buildings were connected by one large roof and a porch system.
About 1500 spruce trees were used to build the main lodge. It has special log designs on the eaves (the edges of the roof). The walls are covered with birch bark, and the main living area has hand-hewn beams (cut by hand) in its two-story high ceiling. Many walls and doors have decorative patterns made from half-logs. There are also impressive fireplaces made of fieldstone. Santanoni is a great example of rustic Adirondack Architecture and the skill of building with logs.
Next to the central lodge, on the lake shore, were a boathouse and an artist's studio. This studio was built for Pruyn's son, Edward Lansing Pruyn, who was an artist. In the woods behind the main lodge were another caretaker's home, a workshop, an ice house, and other service buildings. A little further away, on the road from the farm, were two more homes for staff and another barn for horses and carriages.
Design Influences
Some experts who wrote a book about the Santanoni Preserve noticed something interesting. They believe that Japanese architecture influenced the design of the Main Camp. The most obvious sign is the single roof and continuous porch that connects five of the six buildings. The large roof has steps, like a Japanese roof. From the air, it looks like a bird in flight, which is a symbol of the phoenix.
The authors noted that Robert C. Pruyn's father, Robert H. Pruyn, was an ambassador to Japan in 1861. This was soon after Commodore Perry opened trade with Japan. The Pruyn family was very important in business, politics, and social life in New York. Robert C. Pruyn was an aide to Governor Dix and president of a large bank. He was also a Regent of the University of the State of New York. Many famous visitors came to the Pruyns' Adirondack camp, including Theodore Roosevelt and James Fenimore Cooper, Jr.
Saving Santanoni
For two years, a group called Adirondack Architectural Heritage worked hard to save the buildings. Finally, the state agreed to keep most of the historic buildings at Santanoni Preserve.
Since 1993, several groups have been working together to fix up the buildings. These groups include the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Adirondack Architectural Heritage, and the Town of Newcomb. They have received money from programs like the federal Save America's Treasures and the New York State Environmental Protection Fund. The Getty Foundation also helped pay for a plan to guide all the restoration work.
Santanoni Preserve was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It was then named a National Historic Landmark in 2000.
Visiting Santanoni Preserve
Santanoni Preserve is open all year round for visitors. In the summer, you can walk, bike, ride a horse, or take a horse-drawn wagon down the old historic road. In the winter, you can go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
Many of the buildings, especially at the main camp, are open during certain seasons. From July 4th through Labor Day, friendly staff offer free tours of the camp. These tours happen daily at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.
The Santanoni Preserve is located on Newcomb Lake, just north of the small town of Newcomb.
Gallery
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Main lodge
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Part of the extensive system of porches
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Kitchen block
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Creamery
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Herdsman's cottage
