The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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The Balsams
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The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch
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| Location | NH 26, Coös County, New Hampshire, 10 mi. E of Colebrook |
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| Nearest city | Dixville Notch, New Hampshire |
| Built | 1875 |
| NRHP reference No. | 02000166 |
| Added to NRHP | March 13, 2002 |
The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel is a famous hotel and ski resort. It is located in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, in the United States. This large resort covers about 11,000 acres (45 square kilometers).
It has many fun things to do. You can find 95 km (59 miles) of trails for cross-country skiing. There is also an alpine ski area with 16 trails. It has five glade areas and a terrain park for skiers. The resort also offers a nine-hole golf course. Plus, there is an 18-hole championship golf course called "Panorama." This course was designed by the famous golfer Donald Ross.
A Look Back: The Balsams' Story
The Balsams is located along an old road called the Coös Trail. This road is now Route 26. The hotel first opened right after the American Civil War. It was called the Dix House back then. It was a small, 25-room summer inn. George Parsons started it.
In 1895, a man named Henry S. Hale bought the inn. He was an inventor and businessman from Philadelphia. He had been a regular guest at the inn. Henry Hale renamed it "The Balsams." Over time, he made the hotel much bigger. In 1918, he finished building the Hampshire House. This tall new wing doubled the resort's size. It could then host up to 400 guests.
The Balsams has a special room called the Ballot Room. This is where Dixville Notch residents vote for president. They cast their votes just after midnight on the day of the New Hampshire primary. This has been happening since the 1960s. These votes are among the very first to be counted and shared across the country.
Plans for the Future
The Balsams closed to the public in December 2011. New owners bought it for $2.3 million. It is still closed as of January 2021. The owners are working to get money to make big changes and expand the resort.
In 2014, Les Otten joined the effort to redevelop The Balsams. He used to lead the American Skiing Company. His current plan includes making the ski area much larger. It would grow to about 1,000 acres. He also plans to add more ski lifts. This includes a gondola that would run all year to the top of the mountain. Another lift would connect the ski area across Route 26 to the hotel.
The expanded ski area would be four times its current size. It would become one of the biggest ski areas in the Northeast. The plans also include fixing up the main hotel buildings. These are the Dix and Hampshire houses. There would also be a new hotel wing. The golf course clubhouse would also be renovated. Some of the existing hotel rooms might become condominiums. There could also be new condominium buildings.
Les Otten has said that making these changes would cost about $170 million. After years of work by the owners, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed a special law in May 2019. This law is called the "Balsams Bill." It allows the Coös County Commissioners to create a special funding district around The Balsams. Otten hopes to sell $28 million in bonds using this funding plan. This money would help start the redevelopment.
In 2021, a national nonprofit group called Provident Resources Group agreed to help pay for the new hotel construction. Later, the development team announced that Goldman Sachs would also help with the financing. This led to a lot of interest in buying property there. By June 2022, over 500 pre-sale commitments were made, totaling $30 million.
See also
