The Age of the Club

The Lake Placid Club was started in 1895 by Melvil Dewey. Dewey didn't put all the money forth to get it built . Dewey offered people what they called options which are like time shares today. He gave these options to wealthy families if they paid for some of the construction. of the Club's buildings. Over the years of Melvil Dewey's management the Club was very successful and it expanded its properties through out Lake Placid.
After Melvil Dewey's death in 1931 his son , Godfrey Dewey, made the Club take an active part in getting the 1932 Olympic Games to Lake Placid. Opening ceremonies took place on February 4, 1932 with Godfrey Dewey as president of the Olympic Games Committee. Along with Gov. Franklin Delanor Roosevelt as the honorary Committee president, Dewey made the 1932 Olympic Games
part of Lake Placid's history.
The post- Olympic period wasn't as prosperous as expected because they finished the last bit of major construction in 1929 just be

fore the depression leaving the Club in debt during it. Luckily, in 1938 Samuel H. Packer became the Club's Vice President and started to turn it around. In 1941 he borrowed 200,000 dollars to pay off the Club's current debts and planed to settle the loan as soon as the Club got back on its feet. Unfortunately that debt would have to wait because from 1942 to 1946 the Club was taken over by the military as a soldier relocation base. It reopened in 1946 and the next three decades one could call the Club's heyday. The members could play tennis or golf or even go horse back riding during the summer days. While at night they could enjoy the Club's own simfonietta, the fashion or charity shows, or even a variety show. There were just as many activities during the winter. During this season the Club members could could go downhill or crosscountry skiing, snowshoeing, go for dog sled rides, try out curling, and enjoy tea at the ski-tea farm.

When the 1980 Olympic Games said that they were coming to Lake Placid the Club immediately reserved most of the rooms they had for the officials for the games. So the Club borrowed a lot of money to build new rooms and refurnish the existing rooms. However, there were too many rooms reserved for the group that showed up and since the Club was not open to their member's it had a difficult time paying off the debts it racked up in preparation for the games. When the 1980 Olympic Games closing ceremony was over so was the Lake Placid Club. Since the Club closed in 1980 it has be riddled by arsonist fires, and now it is a burnt ruin of what it once was.

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