Prior to the
1830’s, little was even known about the
Adirondack Mountain Area in Upstate New
York. After the Civil War, Ebenezer Emmons
was asked to survey these woods and the
Adirondacks were exposed as a recreational
spot where an individual could go and
experience the wilderness. People began to
move into this area and this eventually
brought in tourists enjoying the outdoors.
With the increase in tourism came
extravagant hotels and guesthouses that only
the rich could afford.
A new style of
architecture was born in the Adirondacks
during the 1870’s, which was also known as
the “Great Camp” by William West Durant. He
built buildings with many designs borrowed
from Swiss Chalets in Europe. Materials were
found locally and the buildings were
constructed to stand up to the elements and
harmonize with the environment. Rustic work
made use of limbs and roots of the native
trees; their natural curves and knots were
used to create patterns used on Gables,
Porch Railings outside the buildings and
for all types of woodland furniture.
Birch Bark was even used as wallpaper while
native stones were used in fireplaces and
chimneys.
These Great
Camps became popular with the wealthy and
many tourists eventually bought land to
build their own camps in this style. The
Adirondack Style spread from the Adirondacks
in New York to the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
This Adirondack Style included the standard
“Adirondack Chair” and soon encompassed
furniture built from natural tree limbs for
every room inside the camp. Franklin
Roosevelt was so taken by this style that he
pushed the idea that buildings in the
national parks system should emulate this
style as seen in The Inn at Yellowstone
National Park. The Adirondack Style was
designed to withstand the elements, provide
comfort to the inhabitants, and to harmonize
with nature. It’s no wonder that its
popularity still exists today even though
the use of this style has declined since the
1930’s.
