Customer Reviews

The Adirondack Cabin

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I feel that Robin Obomsawin did a much better job with her previous books by adding alot more pictures of the insides of the homes she wrote about. I was sadly disappointed that there were not more pictures of Adirondack homes. I have been very happy with her other books because of the beautiful pictures taken on the interiors, but this book was lacking in pictures of just that- interiors. I really looked forward to this book being released and bought it "sight unseen" and was deeply let down that inside the book, it lacked more pictures of cozy cabin retreats, showcasing all the rooms and decorating where I get my inspirations and ideas from. The author was very clear and informative on the adirondack history though and the building materials used on these types of houses.

I mostly buy more practical Adk books, but I thought it would be nice to have something more glossy ... a coffee-table type book for fun. I have to give the author major praise for including a great variety of camps/cabins, all the way from big, million-dollar homes down to tiny one-roomers. (There is even a section called "Small Gems," which is what I want to build, so I was very happy.) It is, I should also say, a beautiful book. Fabulous photos. I got lots of ideas about authentic Adk architectural touches, types of siding, interior ideas, etc. And I really appreciated that I didn't feel "outclassed," that it wasn't a book full of mansions. The text is pretty random, but all the same, I'm glad I bought it.

In the late 19th century, the wealthy men who wanted to impress poured some of their money into large mansions like Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., only in New York they opted for the "Adirondack style" with a rustic flavor. Floor plans for the cabins are included in this picture book complete with the history of this area. Later they were turned into camps for rich kids. Some of these camps such as Santanoni were operating for one hundred years, from 1850 to 1950. Only a few survive today.

Resort hotels sprang up during that era as retreats to nature from the environs of New York City. Hotel Champlain and Sagamore resorts for the luxury and culture of a period in U. S. history of radical change, are still operating. In Giles County in Middle Tennessee, we have such a place called the Milky Way Farm. Not much of the farm is intact, as parcels were sold to people who desired to live there, not to investors. However, the intriguing home built in the center of the property by the Mars family used local labor and is still open and splendid, inside and out. It has passed from mostly spectulators trying for a bed and breakfast or some such money-making operation. Some rooms are decorated in the style of the times using the original furnishings. The outside stone horse barns ahve disappeared, but the stone fences surrounding the fields leading up to the house which were built by the WPA workers, are still visible. The dining room used for special events has a round table built in that room, as it is too large to get through any of the doors. I ate there when Vo-Tech hosted a supper for public officials and the school's teachers and staff. I was part of the staff at that time. In New York, they are seen as relics of a bygone world of the super-rich. Built by and for the Rockefellers, Astors, Roosevelts, Vanderbilts, etc. who needed to escape the industrial city life and reconnect with nature. Now, there are million dollar homes there.

Santanoni is located hihg up in the peaks of the Adirondacks Mountains. The expanse is impressive and includes 12,500 acres in Newcomb. The main lodge build with a Japanese temple effect still shows the grandeur of the past as lived by the rich and famous.