The Adirondack Park holds many beautiful places and memories.  The Adirondack Park is located in the northern most part of New York State. There are many villages, mountains, lakes and rivers that were discovered and settled many years ago. Like many other places, there are layers of history written in these mountains and waiting to be told and also to enfold.  A particularly interesting event occurred in an area know as Raquette Lake. This is a lake in the mid northwestern part of Adirondack Park, which later become a village.  There was a well-known architect that lived here in the late 1800ís whose name was William West Durant.  He was recognized largely for his architectural style.  He built camps in this region that were designed to appear as if they  grew naturally.  Durant’s first creation was Pine Knot Camp, now known as Huntington Camp, which is located on a peninsula at Raquette Lake.

    The designs of Durant are similar to the trees surrounding the area, those with exposed roots that appear to be fingers reaching into the earth.  The patterns of the roots are harmonious to the patterning of the supporting structures of many of the furniture pieces that are located in his buildings. This makes a person wonder if Durant actually studied the root structure of the trees and his natural surroundings and drew his designs from what he saw. Durant was known to use his materials from the location in which he was building from.  He was very particular in his creations and kept a close and watchful eye on them.  Even going so far as to tear something down and redoing it to make ensure perfection.  Durant erected numerous buildings at this particular camp.  This was the camp he used for his personal time spent in the mountains.

    Durant lived in this camp until he came into financial problems when he sold his camp to Collis P. Huntington in the year 1895.  Huntington was a visitor to this camp in August 1890 when he visited with his wife.  The camp enlargement of 1889-1892 may have been partly due to W.W. Durant’s courtship of Huntington.  Huntington purchased the camp with its many buildings and furnishings and 200 acres of land. Huntington was a regular visitor to his camp between the years of 1895-1900.  He constructed several building after his purchase from Durant.  The outdoor education hall, staff house and recreation hall were not located on W.W. Durant’s 15-page inventory at the sale in 1895.  Huntington died at his camp in the year 1900.  Pine Knot was unoccupied after his death, except for the caretakers who stayed at the camp to maintain the grounds.

    With this information we can strongly assume that Huntington built the staff house between 1895-1900.  The staff house is highly influenced by the standing architecture in the surrounding camp.  The building reflects the influence of Durant’s architectural style and use of material.  The building is erected similar to the other buildings with pines that were on the peninsula.  The granite used in the fireplaces throughout the building is also a natural product of the area.  The detail of the work around the walls and ceilings were done using birch bark, a naturally occurring paper.
The staff cabin faces the eastern part of the shorelines of Raquette Lake.  The cabin is within steps to the main dock. When stepping off onto the dock it is the first building that welcomes you.  Other buildings located next to the staff house are the Chalet, the open dining room, infirmary and Durant’s cabin.  There is a wrap around porch that extends to the front of the cabin.  The view of the lake and the surrounding mountains are breathtaking.  When entering the cabin you walk into a formal gathering area with a huge granite fireplace.   There are three other rooms and two bathrooms located in the cabin now.  There are two beautiful pieces of art located in the cabin.  They would be the floor to ceiling granite fireplaces.  The cabin was created to feel the warmth and security of yesteryears.  When standing on the porch or inside the cabin a person can envision what it must have been like 100 years ago to live at this camp.    A portrait of this beautiful site will be taken and stored away with the rest of your memories for years to come.