The historic Sagamore on Lake George and Mirror Lake Inn in upstate New York are fabulous restored hotels from the early 1900’s, but they are classic white clapboard structures with green shutters – not the Adirondack camps I expected. We were in search of the Gilded Age “camps” (as they call their lake compounds). The Great Camps of the Vanderbilts, DuPonts, and Rockefellers, with Chris Craft wooden boats, twig work, and of course, brightly colored Adirondack chairs! Dream clients of the day who desired (and could certainly afford) to hire architects, designers and builders to realize and expand their visions of quality, beauty and luxury. Finally, we plied the crystal waters of Lake Placid with Mike guiding us (unfortunately in a pontoon boat) past the impeccable, privately owned camps we sought. Mike’s father had been an engineer at the Lake Placid Lodge and a caretaker at many of the camps. The island structures and those on the Western shore are accessible only by boat and have underwater cables providing electricity. As the flaming leaves begin to fall, all the wooden boats must come out of the water for the season and most of the camps shut down for winter. 
As Mike regaled us with tales of the wealthy New York and Pennsylvania families and celebrities who vacationed here, several thoughts came to mind. First, I was encouraged by the beautiful simplicity of construction design and scale – these are not the Cliff Walk Mansions of Newport, but comfortable, rustic and charming cabins. These travelers sought to escape the cities and find peace, quiet rest and natural beauty. Though still quite luxurious, the Great Camps embodied a romantic notion of roughing it. Secondly, I was reminded of the harsh effects of time and weather on everything that we build, particularly on these wooden structures lightly used in the summer season. Caretakers like Mike’s Dad were encouraged to live in the camps off-season to keep them functioning and secure during the frozen winters.
Lastly, it was interesting to hear many stories of long periods of disuse, neglect and disrepair as generations of these families came and went. Some children and grandchildren cherished and preserved memories forged at these camps, while others lost interest, moved on and sold out. The proverb says “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come upon you like a robber and want like an armed man.” I think this is true of our homes as well, as time slips by, neglect accumulates and weather takes its toll, even at the Great Camps of the Adirondacks. Just one more reason to invest in beautiful, durable, quality building materials, and to …BUILD TO LAST.
“Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” Isaiah 32:15-18
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