KEESEVILLE — This year’s Adirondack Architectural Heritage Annual Awards winners have been announced.
The program aims to recognize historic preservation work throughout the Adirondack Region, including examples of sensitive restoration, rehabilitation and demonstrated long-term stewardship.
For the past 30 years, the awards have shone a light on the passions and work of the people who make historic preservation such an important part of the region’s vitality, according to the organization’s officials.
“Each year AARCH recognizes exemplary preservation and stewardship work through our Awards Program. This year’s nine award winners reflect the diversity of the region’s important architecture and highlight the expertise, vision, commitment, and hard work that ensure our incredible historic resource will be treasured for decades to come,” Christine Bush, preservation services director, said.
The 2025 Preservation Award recipients are:
Robert and Electa Waddell House: Restoration & Rehabilitation
Johnsburg Historical Society, Johnsburg, Warren County
Putnam Camp: Long-Term Stewardship
Putnam Camp Board of Directors, Keene Valley, Essex County
Putnam Camp was established as a summer retreat in the mid-1870s and has operated as a non-profit since the 1930s, hosting up to 40 seasonal visitors each year in its picturesque assemblage of farm buildings and rustic cabins. The core of the complex comprises the farmhouse and barn of the former Beede farmstead, which was established around 1850. Three prominent Boston families, the Putnams, the James and Bowditches, purchased the property in the mid-1870s, forming Putnam camp and adding structures through the end of the century. The camp features a decentralized, multi-building plan of rustic structures fabricated with local materials. The camp buildings’ simple vernacular design made use of local materials, such as cedar shingles, untrimmed logs, bark and twiggy embellishments.
Stowersville House: Restoration
Deborah Coffin, Lewis, Essex County
Stowersville House is the last remaining structure from the thriving 19th-century village centering around the Stower forge in Lewis. The community included a grist mill, general store, barber shop, school and several houses and barns in addition to the busy forge erected on Spruce Mill Brook in 1837. The village had become a ghost town by the 1970s, leading to the deterioration or demolition of its remaining structures. Stowersville House stood in a state of disrepair until Deborah Coffin bought it in 2005 and began the process of restoring it over the next 20 years.
The oldest part of the house is an encased one and a half story post and beam structure, whose gable end faced the road. It was then extended on the east side, using an early balloon-framing technique, with mortised floor joists and large beams. Coffin and her team repaired the original wood siding, reconstructed the slate roof, repaired the foundation, restored the original windows, rebuilt the ell and restored the interior plasterwork. In addition, the house had no electricity or plumbing, so for many years Coffin worked with an old generator and mostly hand tools until having the building wired and plumbed. She also did extensive landscaping, incorporating stone walls and garden beds.
Irish House: Restoration
Patricia and John Cogswell, Loon Lake, Franklin County
The Irish House was a core structure on the Loon Lake Hotel property, which opened in 1879 and flourished until 1929. Developed by Ferdinand and Mary Chase, the hotel complex was the size of a small village that could accommodate up to 1,000 visitors, situated on 3,000 acres along the Port Kent–Hopkinton Turnpike and comprising large hotel buildings, 50 individual cottages, an 18-hole golf course, and numerous supporting structures. Outside of the Ausable Club, Loon Lake is the most intact example of a hotel-based 19th-century resort community in the Adirondacks.
The Irish House was constructed around 1905 as the second annex to the grand Loon Lake House and is the only surviving remnant of the hotel’s core lodging. Other than a few years as a private residence, the Irish House has remained a hotel for the past 120 years. Patricia Cogswell and her husband John purchased the property in 2018 after watching it decline for several years. Since then, they have restored it, including repairing the exterior cladding, roof, entry stairs and porches. Inside, they repaired the plaster, woodwork, floors and original wood windows. They also kept original features, such as the tubs, room numbers and fire hose as well as obtained furniture and mirrors that they believe were original to the hotel. The restoration carries on the legacy of the Loon Lake Hotel, sharing the site’s history with visitors new and old.
Bateman Hotel: Rehabilitation
Gregg Firster, Lowville, Lewis County
MacNaughton Cottage: Restoration
Open Space Institute, Newcomb, Essex County
MacNaughton Cottage is the oldest and only intact residential structure from the early mining era in the historic village of Adirondac. This two-story saltbox house with an attached one-story wing was originally constructed in 1834 to house the owners and managers of the Adirondack Iron and Steel Company. The cottage stands as an example of early vernacular architecture and industrial history in the region. Notably, the attached wing functioned as the first bank in the Adirondacks.
Decades after the closure of the mining operation, the property and its structures were repurposed as the headquarters for the Tahawus Club, the first sportsmen’s club in the Adirondacks. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was staying at the Tahawus Club with his family in 1901 when he received news that President William McKinley, who had been shot days earlier, was near death. Roosevelt began his legendary “midnight ride to the presidency” from MacNaughton Cottage. Recognized for its historical significance, the cottage was listed as a contributing feature to the Upper Works Adirondack Iron and Steel Company Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and the New York State Register in 1980.
The restoration of MacNaughton Cottage is a central component of the Open Space Institute’s long-term stewardship and preservation efforts at the 212-acre Adirondac Upper Works property in Newcomb. After sitting vacant and deteriorating for nearly 40 years, OSI prioritized stabilization of the cottage when they acquired the property in 2003.
After years of planning, research and local stakeholder engagement, OSI began full-scale exterior rehabilitation of MacNaughton Cottage in 2023 as the final piece of its decades-long vision to restore the Upper Works as a recreational and heritage destination while keeping in mind security, accessibility and long-term maintenance. The project included asbestos abatement, structural stabilization, reconstructing the front porch and replacing the roof.
Strand Theatre: Restoration & Long-Term Stewardship
Robert Card & Helen Zyma, Old Forge, Herkimer County
Northwood Cabins: Long-Term Stewardship
Brian & Renee Burns, Tupper Lake, Franklin County
Northwood Cabins is an iconic example of mid-20th century roadside architecture that grew popular with the advent of the automobile. As people began to travel by car, their vacation needs changed and sites like these were the perfect place to stay. The Northwood Cabins were originally placed on Wawbeek Road in Tupper Lake before Arthur and Eva LaPorte moved them to Route 30 in the mid-1930s. Situated on the way into town, they were a welcoming and accessible place to rest. The LaPortes also assembled a kit house on the site in 1940 to serve as the office. Shortly thereafter, the property closed due to World War II. It reopened in 1945 and has operated almost continuously as a motel since, welcoming visitors to the Tri-Lakes region of the Adirondacks. To celebrate the reopening, the LaPortes’ son designed, constructed and installed the iconic neon sign.
Brian and Renee Burns purchased the property in 2016 and have worked to preserve and update the buildings as needed. This has included replacing roofs and reconstructing floors, bathrooms and kitchens, as well as updating the plumbing and electrical systems. Lastly, they commissioned a replica of the neon sign when the original was beyond saving. Today, Northwood Cabins provides a nostalgic experience with all the modern amenities. The Burns’ thoughtful stewardship of the property has preserved this iconic mid-century lodging as a charming, affordable place to stay, with easy access to recreational sites in Tupper Lake and the broader area.
Trude Fitelson: Lifetime Achievement
Thousand Island Park, Jefferson County
If You Go WHAT: Adirondack Architectural Heritage Preservation Awards Ceremony WHEN: 4-6:30 pm. Sept. 19 WHERE: Frontier Town Gateway in North Hudson, New York ADMISSION: This event is open to the public; tickets are $45. Read more about this year’s awardees and purchase tickets aarch.org or by calling 518-834-9328.