Wawbeek

[Old Rivers]

Looks like Adk's has lost one of it's grandest restrauants. New owner from Burbank, Ca. bought the whole 30+ lakeside acres for $6.25 million with intention of leveling the landmark restrauant to build a vacation home. I understand some locals are trying to classify Wawbeek as "Historical landmark" but that's not likely to happen. How SAD! I hope the realtor enjoys his commission as much as I enjoyed eating there.

[Willie]

Actually, if someone wants the buildings, they can take them! See here

[Old Rivers]

Thanks for posting that Willie; I hope they can be moved & preserved for public use. Perhaps THE WILD CENTER could move it down the road and include it as a museum operated eatery overlooking the oxbow on Raquete River.

[chairrock]

I hate to see these grand old places razed.I feel just as much connection to them as I do for the wilderness. When they are gone, all we have are memories of past times with simpler pleasures.I've seen some beautiful places lost because they were in "wilderness" areas.what a waste......

[Lute Hawkins]

I feel the same way with the DEC's policy of moving leantos back away from lakes & ponds when rebuilding them. What made the site memorable is gone forever, and nothing was gained except a state employee in an improperly-fitting uniform can gleefully say how they complied with some whimsical regulation.

[HappyCamper]

I enjoyed some time spent at the Wawbeek a couple years ago and I also feel badly that it's no more. The staircases around the fireplace were so unique architecturally, I had never seen anything like it.

[Old Rivers]

Update: Seems all atempts to save the 2 grand buildings have failed & new owners will demolish both the restaurant & home in order to build their "Camp". Thanks for the memories.

[ALGonquin Bob]

It's a shame that people who probably know little (and definitely don't care) about the history of the Adrondacks buy property, likely because of it's beauty and cheap price compared to the West Coast, then want to destroy historic structures because they're impatient with the town's efforts to raise enough funds to move them.

[AdRegion]

Nothing last forever, not even the Adirondacks. He's building a new camp, in some ways the new owner is contributing to Adirondack history, just like the builders of the original "camp".

The fireplace was cool, but it is true that the rest was "rustic" at best.

[mwanner]

I have some trouble jumping on the Trash-the-Sittigs bandwagon. On the one hand, I can't imagine buying a property like this with a plan to knock down historic architecture (of course, I have trouble imagining having 6.25 million to spend on a tear-down-- how much are they going to have in this property when they're finished?!)

At the same time, the property was out there, on the open market, and it could have been acquired by preservationist interests at that time.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure that the prior owners, not long before putting it on the market for $6+ million, got its assessment knocked down from $2 million to $1 million. Ah, the trials and tribulations of the well-to-do!

[St.Regis]

At the same time, the property was out there, on the open market, and it could have been acquired by preservationist interests at that time.

Exactly.

[ALGonquin Bob]

I wasn't referring to acquiring the property; I only referred to the perceived impatience of the new owner regarding the town's efforts to raise funds for moving the buildings off the Wawbeek property, thus at least saving the historic structures from being destroyed to make way for whatever will replace them on the property. The owner of the land certainly has the right to do what he or she pleases but what’s the hurry? (Note: Please include the entire sentence when quoting my previous comment). Can't they start construction a couple months later? Give those who care enough time to raise the money. Bulldozing those buildings as if they were so much trash isn't getting the out-of-towners off to a great start with many people in the town, or in New York State, for that matter. What are the local residents saying about this?

[mwanner]

ALGonquin, and others - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to criticize those who were annoyed by the Sittigs-- it is frustrating to see an irreplaceable building destroyed. I just got to thinking about it from the Sittig's point of view after reading an interview with them from February in the Press Republican (http://www.pressrepublican.com/archi...ml?start:int=0). Speaking of his plans to build a new Great Camp, he said: “And 100 or 200 years from now, I hope people will look at our buildings and talk about them in the same way.” Who knows-- he just might be right.

Although the Coulter-designed buildings are 100 years old, they've only been "the Wawbeek" since about 1980-- the previous Wawbeek having burned to the ground at least twice it it's 90-year prior history. The Coulter buildings were originally a private Great Camp. I wonder, if they had stayed private, would this whole flap be going on?

It's not that hard to understand the Sittig's unwillingness to wait a real long time for money to materialize to move the buildings-- back in the 70s, when preservationists were trying to save Santanoni and needed to raise $125,000, they only came up with $50,000 initially-- we would very likely have lost Santanoni to a developer if a single donor hadn't come forward at the last minute with the other $75,000.

So how long would you have the Sittigs wait? Even if the money needed to move the buildings had been obtainable, how long would it take to move the buildings? If you'd just spent $6.25 mil on a property, how long would you be willing to wait to get started building your dream house?

Anyway, I absolutely share your frustration at seeing these buildings go down the tubes. But like most stories, there's another side. I'm sorry, though, if I came off sounding like I was criticizing those who were unhappy with the Sittigs.

[mwanner]

Sic transit gloria mundi...

Postscript: "Sittigs confirm Wawbeek buildings have been torn down." http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise....html?nav=5008

[ALGonquin Bob]

Damn!