Saranac Inn facts for kids
The Saranac Inn was a big, fancy hotel. It was located on a piece of land sticking out into Upper Saranac Lake. This was in the Adirondacks region of New York State, USA. Important people like US Presidents Grover Cleveland and Chester A. Arthur stayed there. New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes also visited. The hotel closed in 1962. It then burned down in 1978.
Saranac Inn is also the name of a small village, called a hamlet. This village grew up near the hotel. There is also a public golf course called Saranac Inn Golf Club. This golf course was once part of the hotel. It is a par 72 course. Golf Digest magazine said it was one of the best old golf courses in the U.S.
Contents
History of Saranac Inn
Early Days of the Inn
The hotel first opened in 1864. It was called the Prospect House back then. It started as a small place. It could only hold about 15 guests. Over time, it grew bigger. Eventually, it could host up to 100 people.
In 1886, a group of business people bought the hotel. They changed its name to Saranac Inn. They started making many improvements. They built new parts and fixed up old ones. By 1909, the hotel could hold 250 guests.
A new train line, the Mohawk and Malone Railway, opened in 1892. This made it much faster to travel. People from big cities on the East Coast could reach the Adirondacks easily. This helped the hotel become very popular.
Growth and Changes
In 1912, Harrington Mills bought the hotel. He owned another hotel in Washington, D.C. He completely rebuilt the Saranac Inn. He added two more floors. He also put in elevators. Every room got its own private bathroom.
The hotel grew even more in the 1920s. A famous architect from Saranac Lake, William G. Distin, designed many parts. At its busiest, the hotel was huge. It had the main building and many small cottages by the lake. Some guests even liked to stay in special tents. In total, it could host a thousand guests!
The End of an Era
After the Great Depression, fewer people could afford to stay at the hotel. The hotel's business dropped a lot. It was sold many times. In 1946, a big hotel company bought it. They brought in large groups for meetings. This helped the hotel's money problems for a while.
But in 1957, it was sold again. It closed in 1962 because it was not making money. Finally, some people who sell things at auctions bought it for $400,000. They sold off the land and buildings piece by piece. The golf course went to one owner. The cottages went to others. The hotel building itself was sold to different owners.
In the mid-1970s, parts of the hotel were taken apart. People wanted to use the materials for other buildings. Then, on June 17, 1978, a huge fire started. It burned for seven hours. The fire destroyed everything that was left of the hotel.
The small group of cottages that grew around the Inn still exist today. Some of the large, fancy vacation homes, called Great Camps, also remain. However, events like World War I, the Great Depression, and the start of the income tax made it hard to keep these big places. Many Great Camps, like the Inn, were left empty. Some were lost because taxes were not paid. Others burned down or slowly fell apart.
Some of these historic places are still important. Eagle Island Camp, Moss Ledge, and Prospect Point Camp are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.
Images for kids
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Lakeside view from a 1907 postcard
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A home built where the Inn used to be
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The cottage owned by US President Grover Cleveland before the Inn was built
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People camping in tents at Saranac Inn in 1909
