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 Built in 1926 by
E.C. Stuart
the Hotel Stearns was sold to Melvil Dewey upon completion for $75,000 and was immediately renamed the Lake Placid Club
Loj. The two large wings were added the same year bringing the total cost to $151,000. The
Lake Placid Club Loj was the nucleus of the Lake Placid Club sub-tropic operation. An
additional $131,000 was spent furnishing the 68 guest rooms, 54 baths,
dining room,
music and living room, game room,
central lounge, library, office and
modern kitchen.
The Loj served as the headquarters for Lake Placid Club in Florida during
the construction of the main club plant "Seven
Lakes" 2 miles to the south on the north shore of Lake Placid
(formerly Lake Childs).
To promote Lake Placid Club South, the club produced and distributed a
50 page pamphlet
detailing the efforts.
The Great
Depression caused the closure of Lake Placid Club Loj on May 1st 1931. The furniture was
sold to Lake Placid Club North to pay outstanding debt.
The Lake Placid Club Loj
Space
Plans show just how magnificent the facility was. The
Cash Register from the Club is
another good example of the elegance of the times.
Dr. Melvil Dewey's dream of
establishing Lake Placid Club Florida was dampened by the Great Depression
and by 1950 The
Lake Placid Club Loj lay in ruins. It was later
demolished. The Lake Placid Club plant
on Lake Placid still remains today as a bold reminder of Melvil's Dream.
The Seven Lakes facility is currently a
Conference Center
run by the
Church of the Nazarene.
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