Lost and Found
Written by PA Heritage Staff in the Lost and Found category and the Summer 1996 issue Topics in this article: architecture and architects, Bedford County, Bedford Springs Hotel, Colonial Revival, Crestmont Inn, Eagles Mere Hotel, Greek Revival, James Buchanan, National Historic Landmark, Sullivan County, White House, William Y. WarnerLost
The Crestmont Inn, for many years the grandest hotel in the summer colony of Eagles Mere, Sullivan County, was a self-contained resort that offered its affluent guests a wide variety of activities, including tennis, swimming, bowling, croquet, badminton, and golf, in addition to concerts, dances, and bridge tournaments. Perched on a mountain top overlooking the spring-fed Eagles Mere Lake, its cupola afforded visitors a panorama of twelve counties. The immense four-story building was built in the distinctive Shingle Style of architecture. Opened by William Y. Warner in 1900, the Crestmont Inn closed in 1975. The imposing building was demolished in 1982.
Found
The Bedford Springs Hotel in Bedford County is one of the finest examples of the mineral springs resort phenomenon which swept the nation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The magnificent complex, erected between 1806 and 1905, reflects a century of architectural styles, such as Greek Revival, Italianate, and Colonial Revival. More important, the hotel documents American leisure and glamorous spa lifestyles of those “taking the waters” many years ago. The Bedford Springs Hotel, which served as President James Buchanan’s summer White House, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1991. It is currently being restored and will reopen in 1998.
