Hotel of Hotels

150 years ago the Hotel Champlain was the epitome of luxury. Atop a cliff overlooking the lake, this high-class resort was the place to experience Adirondack chic.

The Hotel Champlain, once a vacation destination for socialites and presidents, defined Plattsburgh in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Guests flocked from all over the country, and the world, to experience this majestic North Country attraction.

Its main building, eerily reminiscent of its former grandeur, still overlooks the waters of Lake Champlain. Located approximately four miles south of Plattsburgh on Bluff Point, the former hotel is now the site of Clinton Community College. Even though it is now a place for higher education, great care has been taken to preserve the look of the hotel. The light fixtures, furniture, and décor represent the glory of the North Country now lost.

It was built to be the "hotel of hotels" by the Delaware & Hudson Railroad Company. The land's original owner, Smith M. Weed, purchased it with the intention to build a private residence but later decided a hotel would be better suited there. Devoted to the area, Weed wanted to develop Plattsburgh for the benefit of all residents. On June 17, 1890, the Hotel Champlain officially opened with a great deal of fanfare.

True to its claim, the hotel—400 feet long and 75 feet wide with 3 towers—boasted 500 rooms, a ballroom, a billiard room, several dining rooms, a bar, and a children's playroom. After its second season, an annex was added, creating 100 more rooms. The Hotel Champlain developed Victorian culture in the North Country and, according to the Clinton Community College web site, was the ultimate in "gay-nineties" luxury.

The interior of the Hotel Champlain.

Courtesy Special Collections, Feinberg Library, Plattsburgh State University

According to Clinton County Historian Addie Shields, the Hotel Champlain was envisioned as a solution to the water problems in New York City at that time. Due to the construction there, the underground water supplies were being contaminated with pollutants that seeped through the ground. The fresh air and water of the North Country were thought to be a cure for many ailments, including those caused from bad water downstate. The D&H Railroad marketed the health benefits as well as the scenic route up along the lake. "It was widely enough known that people came for the health effects, and they brought connections," says Shields.

One of the most famous guests to come for the therapeutic value was Mrs. Ida McKinley, wife of then President McKinley, who suffered from epilepsy. Her husband accompanied her. Other famous figures include Presidents William Taft, Warren Harding, and Franklin Roosevelt; Vice-president and Mrs. Hobart; Secretary of War and Mrs. Alger; New York Governors Block and Hughes; William Randolf Hearst's sweetheart, Marion Davies; and Babe Ruth.

Noteworthy guests also meant noteworthy events for the hotel. A Hollywood film was shot on hotel grounds. Davies, starred in Janice Meredith, a revolutionary war movie in which soldiers stationed at the Plattsburgh Barracks appeared as extras. And hotel rooms transformed into centers of creativity.

Bud Fisher, creator of the Mutt and Jeff comics, drew his two main characters frequently in the Hotel Champlain bar room. According to legend, Babe Ruth hit a golf ball from the first tee over the green for a 600-foot blast into the lake during his stay. The popularity of the hotel was so great it warranted a cover story in an issue of Harper's Weekly.

The Hotel Champlain from the lake.

Courtesy Special Collections, Feinberg Library, Plattsburgh State University

The hotel's popularity also developed the North Country economy. "It was a market for many of our farmers," says Shields, who emphasized her point by spelling the word market. According to Shields, the hotel had the biggest impact on the agriculture of the area as small farmers sold potatoes, butter, milk, cabbage, carrots, and even cows to the hotel. "It was also a job market for the young."

The Hotel Champlain was the pride of D & H because it was a moneymaker. But it was also the pride of the North Country. "It was wonderful for us," Shield says, "one of our biggest assets."

Unfortunately, in 1910, our asset burnt to the ground. Luckily, the hotel hadn't opened for the summer and the few employees were able to escape unharmed. The source of the fire was never discovered, and there are rumors ranging from a stray bolt of lightning to faulty wiring to mice-chewed cords.

The D & H, unwilling to forfeit the entire season, opened to visitors the Cottage Colony, undamaged cottages surrounding the main building. The D & H quickly rebuilt the hotel using the plans it had prepared for the rebuilding of its hotel at Fort William Henry that had burned down the previous year.

The new Hotel Champlain opened on July 11, 1911 and was built to be fireproof with a steel framework and hollow tile for the roof and walls. Although just as elaborate, it was smaller than the original, the D & H found it impossible the draw the same revenue with the fewer rooms. Nevertheless, the ambiance remained the same, and the Hotel continued to operate for the next 40 years.

After the stock market crash of 1929, the Depression, and World War II, Americans began to change their vacation habits. High priced summer-long retreats were no longer practical or fashionable. In 1951, the hotel closed and the property was sold to the Society of Jesus. It became Bellarmine College, which was dedicated to schooling Jesuit priests. When Bellarmine closed in 1966, Clinton County officials chose the location as the site of Clinton Community College. The natural beauty and historical significance proved to be the deciding factors in the final decision.

Today, the historical significance to the college's location seems to escape many of CCC's students even though pictures on the second floor, the architecture, and the furnishings hint at what the grand hotel the college once was. Investigators would find a remarkable tale of American history.

Local resident and CCC senior Charlene Dumont does know of the college's background. "I find it fascinating to think that I am walking the same hallways as famous figures in the country's history."

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