This month we are going to West Chester County, New York, the home of the Briarcliff Lodge. The lodge was of Tudor Revival architecture and was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. The lodge opened in 1905 by Walter Law, who hired Guy King to construct the lodge on the highest point of his estate.
In 1923, the Law family leased the building to Chauncey Depew Steele, and it became a resort for the wealthy and famous. Notable guests included Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Babe Ruth, and J.P. Morgan. Ella Holmes White, Titanic survivor and daughter of Edwin Holmes (the creator of the electromagnetic burglar alarm) and her partner Marie Grice Young had a long term lease at the lodge, even having a special extension built for them.
The lodge had large greenhouses; their specialty being American Beauty roses, carnations, and the Briarcliff Rose (cultivated at the lodge). The American Beauty Carnival was hosted every year and included water sports, moonlight bathing, and dinner and dancing. The Roman-style pool was the largest pool in the world at the time and was used for the 1924 Olympic swim trials. The elite lodge also had elevator services and a moor mast for docking ships, although there is no records of it evert being used.
After a decline in room sales, Steele ended his lease and the lodge was then used for a “health-diet sanitarium,” a hotel in the summer months, and was home to the Edgewood Park School for Girls.
From 1955 to 1994, King’s College used the property, but it was closed in 1994 due to finances. The property had several preservation attempts, but all were ended when the original 1902 building burned to the ground September 20, 2003. According to Westfaironline, The Club at Briarcliff Manor is set to open in summer of 2019 with 287 rental units for senior care.
Sources:
Briarcliff Lodge. (Medical Trade Ephemera Collection) Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
Briarcliff Lodge Menu. July 4, 1905. Website. http://menus.nypl.org/menus/24784
Daffenbaugh, Ryan. “$168M Retirement Community Takes Shape.” Daily Voice. Website. October 5, 2018. https://dailyvoiceplus.com/westchester/westchester-business-journal/construction/168m-retirement-community-takes-shape/751541/?utm_source=Westchester%20County%20Business%20Journal
“Mlle. Daisy Jean at Briarcliff Manor.” New York Times. June 14, 1925. Pg. 7
“To Begin Spa at Briarcliff; Depew and 4 Others to Put Torbernite in Spring Today.” New York Times. May 24, 1925. Pg. 30
Yasinsac, Robert J. “Briarcliff Lodge. Then and Now.” 2003. Website. http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/yasinsac/kingscollege/tan.html