Benjamin A. Muncil (28 Aug 1867 – 16 Dec 1930) was an American master builder in the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York (state), New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the hi ...

early in the 20th century. He was a major figure in the architectural development of the Adirondack

Great Camps __NOTOC__ The Great Camps of the Adirondack Mountains are often grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks. The camps were summer homes for the wealthy, sites ...

; among his many projects was

Marjorie Merriweather Post Marjorie Merriweather Post (March 15, 1887 – September 12, 1973) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist. She was the daughter of C. W. Post and the owner of General Foods, General Foods Corporation. For much of Post's l ...

's Camp Topridge, Northbrook Lodge, and White Pine Camp, a summer White House of US President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

. Born in

Vermontville, New York Vermontville is a hamlet in Franklin County in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seat of government of the town of Franklin. Vermontville is located near the southern town line on New York State Route 3. History Vermontville was settled b ...

, he started life as a lumberman at age 14 and as a guide and camp caretaker on Upper St. Regis Lake at age 18. He was the first to use "brainstorm siding," wavy-edged cladding, in place of clapboard, at several camps, including White Pine Camp on Osgood Pond in 1907. Other projects included Camp Longwood and the Huntington camp, both on

Spitfire Lake Spitfire Lake is a part of the St. Regis River in the Adirondacks in northern New York State and is in area. Along with Upper and Lower St. Regis Lake, it became well-known in the late 19th century as a summer playground of America's power el ...

, and the Little Camp on Upper St. Regis Lake. The main boathouse at Topridge, with its curving cedar railings and

twig work A twig is a thin, often short, branch of a tree or Bush (plant), bush. The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of the t ...

screens, is one of the major and last examples of the naturalistic rustic tradition introduced by W. W. Durant. He also designed the

American Craftsman American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. ...

style Brighton Town Hall at Brighton, New York in 1914 and Northbrook Lodge at

Paul Smiths, New York Paul Smiths is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Brighton in Franklin County, New York, United States. It is located on Lower Saint Regis Lake in the Adirondacks, northwest of Saranac Lake, located at 44°26' North 74° ...

in 1919–1922. ''Note:'' This includes

References

External links

''Adirondack Connections'' article on two Muncil sites. (pdf)United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service ''ADIRONDACK CAMPS THEME STUDY'' (pdf)
American carpenters Rustic style architects Adirondack Great Camps 1867 births 1930 deaths People from Franklin County, New York {{US-architect-19C-stub