Lake Placid – The concept of the Adirondack Great Camps dates to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
These were luxury Adirondack lodges that blended the best of rustic architecture with the opulence of the Gilded Age which took its name from a Mark Twain novel of the 1870s. The emergence of the Great Camps coincided with a burgeoning economy, substantial capital growth and an influx of millions of European immigrants. It was the perfect storm.
In that 1870s-time frame, the Adirondacks were seen as a destination for healthy living, wholesome recreation and escaping city heat. Sounds quite familiar to the Adirondacks of today. According to Co-Pilot, “these camps combined multiple buildings—main lodges, guest cabins, boathouses, and service structures—constructed from native materials like logs, stone, and bark, often connected by covered walkways.” If one looks around the Mirror Lake Inn, a connection to that era can be found.
As the inn’s 100-plus years have evolved, it has become one of the historic luxury hotels in New York. Signs of the Great Camp era are evident here, but untold millions of dollars have been invested in Mirror Lake Inn renovations. There’s a sense of sophisticated elegance, emanating from the Great Camp style, to accommodate the modern traveler.
Rooms, suites, its European spa, The View Restaurant have all benefited from ownership’s attention to creating an authentic and upscale Adirondack experience. In fact, the restaurant, which opened as the Averil Conwell Dining Room, was named after the Illinois artist who was born in 1894. She summered in nearby Upper Jay and later passed in that same small community in 1990. This renowned eatery retained the name until it became The View Restaurant in 2004.
As time has elapsed, the property has acquired the AAA Four Diamond rating for the past 42 straight years and has been a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World the last 40 years. But at this Upstate New York enclave, it began with the Great Camps.