Camp Topridge
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

__NOTOC__ Camp Topridge is an
Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...
Great Camp __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 ...
bought in 1920 and substantially expanded and renovated in 1923 by
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 ...
, former owner of
General Foods General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the United States by C. W. Post, Charles William (C. W.) Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The company changed its name to "General Foods" in 1929, a ...
and the daughter of
C. W. Post Charles William Post (October 26, 1854 – May 9, 1914) was an American innovator, breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer and a pioneer in the prepared-food industry. He was the founder of what is now Post Consumer Brands. Early life and ...
. The "camp", near Keese Mill, in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, was considered by Post to be a "rustic retreat"; it consisted of 68 buildings, including a fully staffed main lodge and private guest cabins, each staffed with its own butler. It was one of the largest of the Adirondack great camps and possibly the most elaborately furnished. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying photographs''
/ref> The camp had and was situated on an
esker An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Amer ...
between the Spectacle Ponds and Upper St. Regis Lake, about northwest of
Saranac Lake, New York Saranac Lake is a village in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,887, making it the largest community by population in the Adirondack Park.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Saranac Lake village, New ...
. The estate was designed by local builder Ben Muncil in collaboration with New York architect Theodore Blake. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying photographs''
/ref> As originally built, the property could only be reached by water, though a driveway was added in later years. Guests arrived by
floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
or Post's boat at a private dock, and thence via
funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...
to the main building at the top of the ridge. Three times each week, guests would gather in the living room where full-length movies could be screened; an adjoining dining room seated thirty guests. Many of the original furnishings of the room, which included an extensive collection of American Indian artifacts, are now in the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
. Among the many elaborate structures on the property is a Russian
dacha A dacha (Belarusian, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of former Soviet Union, post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ...
built for Post's third husband, who had served as ambassador to the Soviet Union. The staff would arrive from Keese Mills Road in Paul Smiths and drive around the water and leave their cars in a parking lot, now used as public parking for the trail to
Saint Regis Mountain Saint Regis Mountain is a mountain in the town of Santa Clara, New York, in Franklin County at the center of the Saint Regis Canoe Area in the Adirondack Park. It can be climbed from a trailhead on Keese Mills Road in Keese Mill, west of ...
; the trailhead is near the private property line of Camp Topridge. From the parking lot, staff would walk a hilly, unpaved path into the workers' side of the camp. In the early 1970s, this unpaved path was widened and became suitable for one-way car traffic. Prior to the paving, vehicles could only be driven over the ice in the winter. Post's guests would arrive at Saranac Airport (in Lake Clear), often in her private
Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. T ...
, the ''Merriweather''. They would be driven to a launch which would take them to one of the boat houses. From there, they could either take the stairs or ride a covered, six-person electronic lift or funicular, installed for Post's aunt Molly Post, who suffered from heart trouble. For years, the caretaker of the camp and his wife would feed lunch to staff in a dining room in the caretaker's home. Post bequeathed the property to the State of New York. The main lodge, most of the buildings and were offered for sale, while the remaining acreage became part of the
Adirondack Forest Preserve New York's Forest Preserve comprises almost all the lands owned by the state of New York within the Adirondack and Catskill parks. It is managed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). , the Forest Preserve covers nearl ...
. Roger Jakubowski purchased the camp in 1985 for $911,000. It is now owned by Texas real estate magnate
Harlan Crow Harlan Rogers Crow (born 1949) is an American-Kittitian real estate developer and conservative activist. He is the former chairman and CEO of the Trammell Crow Company, which was founded by his father, Trammell Crow. His father was described as t ...
, who purchased it in 1994 when Jakubowski went bankrupt. Crow has substantially restored the buildings and added several new ones. The property was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1986. As reported by
ProPublica ProPublica (), legally Pro Publica, Inc., is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization based in New York City. ProPublica's investigations are conducted by its staff of full-time reporters, and the resulting stories are distributed to ne ...
in 2023, Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served since 1991 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. President George H. W. Bush nominated him to succeed Thurgood Marshall. Afte ...
is one of Crow's regular guests, spending a week each summer at Topridge for the past two decades. One of the decorations at the lodge is a photo-realistic painting by Sharif Tarabay of Thomas, Crow, and lawyers Peter B. Rutledge,
Leonard Leo Leonard Anthony Leo (born November 1965) is an American lawyer, businessman, and conservative legal activist. He was the longtime vice president of the Federalist Society and is currently, along with Steven Calabresi, the co-chairman of the or ...
and Mark Paoletta lounging in
Adirondack chair The Adirondack chair is an outdoor lounge chair with wide armrests, a tall slatted back, and a seat that is higher in the front than the back. Its name references the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. The chair was invented by Thomas Lee ...
s at the lodge in 2018.


Gallery

File:Boathouse 2 at Topridge.jpg, The second boathouse at Topridge, added by Harlan Crow File:Topridge between boathouses.jpg, A newer building between the two boathouses.


Notes


References

* Kaiser, Harvey H., ''Great camps of the Adirondacks.'' Boston: David R. Godine, 1982. .


External links


''New York Times'', "Out-Twigging the Neighbors; In the Adirondacks, Great Camps Are Sprouting Again." Includes news of recent renovations.
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Adirondack Great Camps Geography of New York (state) Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Franklin County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, New York