Cranwell History 2015

Steeped in History
As you stroll about the grounds of Cranwell, you are
walking through history. Over the years, Cranwell
has served as a home to wealthy industrialists, clergy,
writers, students, golfers, and culture. The centerpiece
of the property, with its extraordinary views of the
Berkshires, is the hilltop Tudor-style Mansion, which
has dominated the countryside for more than a
century. The history of Cranwell is entwined with
many stories of the opulent period between 1880
and 1920, known as the Gilded Age. Cranwell was
constructed then, and the era’s vision of rural splendor
is the source of the exceptional beauty we still revel
in today as Cranwell thrives as a premier four-season
resort. The resort offers 114 distinctive rooms, one
of the largest spas in the Northeast and an 18-hole
historic golf course. In the winter, snow turns the
course into a cross-country skier paradise. Exquisite
cuisine is served in the award-winning Wyndhurst
and Music Room, while casual fare can be found in
Sloane’s Tavern year-round. Each year, as companies
from around the world gather here to meet, Cranwell
plays host to storybook weddings of all proportions
and indulges guests in contemporary comfort while
offering them the experience of a bygone era.
Historic Hotels of America
Cranwell is a proud member of the prestigious
National Trust Historic Hotels of America (HHA),
an organization of more than 200 quality hotels that
have faithfully maintained their historic architecture
and ambience. To be selected for this program, a hotel
must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for
the National Register of Historic Places or recognized
locally as having historic significance.
Cranwell Chronology
1803 Ezra Blossom bought the property for $70.
1853 Reverend Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet
Beecher Stowe, bought the property for $4,500.
1869 Sold to General John F. Rathbone for $8,000,
who razed Beecher’s Cottage & built a Tudor style
mansion called Wyndhurst (not today’s building).
1893 John Sloane, a relative of the Vanderbilts (Emily
Vanderbilt married his brother William and built
Elm Court in 1886) and co-owner of W & J Sloane
Furniture, bought the property and built the present
mansion, Wyndhurst.
1894 Wyndhurst was completed. Sloane commissioned
Frederick Law Olmsted, landscape architect of
Central Park, to design the lawn and gardens.
1897 President McKinley visited.
1902 President Roosevelt invited to Wyndhurst for lunch,
but he never arrived; his carriage was hit by a street
car, a secret serviceman killed and the president
thrown out, resulting in minor bruises.
1907 Daughter Evelyn Sloane married William Griswold
in one of the largest high society weddings in Lenox.
1920 Property left to Sloane’s daughters who were not
interested in retaining the estate. Sold to a group of
wealthy developers from New York City and Palm
Beach. They purchased it along with Blantyre and
Coldbrooke to form the 695 acres and 43 buildings
of the Berkshire Hunt and Country Club.
1926 The golf course was built, designed by Wayne Stiles
and John Van Kleek.
1929 The Club never fully succeeded and finally closed
following the “Crash of ‘29.”
1931 Edward Cranwell of New York City bought the
property and used it as a summer home for the next
8 years. He then deeded it to the Society of Jesus of
New England to be used as a private school.
1939 The Cranwell School for boys operated for 36 years.
1975 During the years leading up to 1993, the property
was operated by a variety of owners and management
companies that developed the condominiums
on the back nine and began hotel renovations.
1993 Purchased by a group of private investors including
Burack Investments, the managing partners.
Cover golf photo courtesy of The Berkshire Eagle
rev. 8/15
Preserving the Berkshires Experience
Walk Through History
A Self-Guided Tour
Lenox, Massachusetts
800-272-6935 cranwell.com

The Mansion
Early 1900s Lenox became known as the “Inland
Newport” and at least 42 millionaires were known to
spend their summers here during this time, including
John Sloane, a relative of the Vanderbilts and co-owner
of the famous furniture firm W & J Sloane. He bought
the property for $50,000 and in 1894 built his Peabody
and Sterns-designed “cottage” Wyndhurst, referred to
today as the Mansion. This was known as the “Cottage
Era” where cottages were defined as a secondary
residence with a minimum of 30 rooms and 20 acres.
Presidential Visit
President McKinley visited Wyndhurst with his wife
on September 25, 1897. He was a close friend of
John Sloane’s until his death in 1901. To impress the
Presidential party during dinner, a large centerpiece
of an American Eagle surrounded by roses was
mechanically lit up and brought to life. Mrs. McKinley
was startled and so visibly upset that she had to be
escorted from the room by her husband.
Lobby & Music Room
As you enter the Mansion Lobby, notice the oak panels
and red leather inserts between the ceiling beams. The
fireplace to your left is one of only two still-working
fireplaces at Cranwell. The white Cortina marble fireplace
in the adjoining Music Room is another example of the
variety and intricacy of the 15 fireplaces in this “cottage.”
Carved into the woodwork of the Music Room Lounge
fireplace is the year Wyndhurst was built.
Wyndhurst Dining Room
To the right of the Lobby is the Wyndhurst Dining Room.
The White House Blue Room ceiling was modeled after
this room’s ceiling pattern when W & J Sloane Co. was
commissioned for work at the White House.
Rose Terrace
“From here I can see the very hills of Heaven,”
proclaimed the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, a
popular preacher active in the women’s suffrage and
abolitionist movements. In 1853 he purchased Blossom
Hill, where the Mansion now stands, for $4,500. The
views he loved are the same that can be seen today when
you sit on the Rose Terrace off of the Lobby and are
reminded of the legendary parties that took place on this
same hillside over 150 years ago. Ward Beecher’s sister
Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
and fellow writer Nathaniel Hawthorne were frequent
visitors at this time. Civil War General John Rathbone
was the next owner of the property and built a mansion
on this hill in 1869 named Wyndhurst. The building
was razed but the name remains. Rathbone owned a
prosperous stove works foundry that eventually became
the biggest in the world. He was also a philanthropist
who is credited with bringing the first computer to the
U.S. in 1855. Views from the hill: October Mountain
(East), Laurel Lake (South), Lenox Mountain and the
Taconic Range (West), Mt. Greylock (23 miles North).
Mansion Ballroom
Follow the signs down the hallway to the Ballroom,
which was added in 1949 as a dining hall for the
Cranwell School for Boys. In 2013 this 3,025 squarefoot
ballroom was completely renovated with dramatic
columns of drapery framing the 12-foot windows
and chandeliers adorned with strings of crystals to
complement the 16-foot ceiling.
Carriage House
A short walk from the Mansion, the 18-room Carriage
House was opened in July 2012 to replace the structure
that was destroyed by fire in December 2010. The
new building design respects the historic nature of the
property bringing back much of the glory of the circa
1890s structure, which served as the Carriage House
for Wyndhurst. The original architectural drawings by
Peabody and Stearns Architects were located in the Boston
Public Library and used to help design the guest
space, incorporating many concepts from the original
building, such as the tower, cantilevered floors at the
upper level, as well as roof lines and gables, to create a
new design that still respects the original structure.
Beecher’s
A walk past the practice putting green brings you
to the oldest building on property. In 1882, United
States Naval Captain John S. Barnes, Flag Officer
of the North Atlantic Fleet during the Civil War,
purchased the land next to Wyndhurst for $10,000
and erected Coldbrooke, now known as Beecher’s.
This Queen Anne-style shingled house with a central
gable was designed by Peabody and Sterns and is
located near the 1st tee of the golf course.
Golf Course
This magnificent 18-hole golf course was built by
Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek in 1926 on the
site of the original Berkshire Hunt Club. They also
designed the Taconic Course in Williamstown and the
Wahconah Golf Club in Dalton. Magnificent views,
tree-lined fairways and naturally-contoured greens
have been carefully preserved.
Olmsted Manor & Founders
Take a stroll to Olmsted Manor and then through
the enclosed walkway to Founders. Both buildings
have been completely renovated (in 2000 and 1997
respectively) but originate from Cranwell’s time as
a preparatory school. In 1939, Edward Cranwell
deeded the property to the New England Province of
the Society of Jesus, which operated a private school
for boys here until 1975. Ted Kennedy attended his
8th grade at Cranwell in 1945. Leonard Bernstein
roomed with four other student musicians studying
under Serge Koussevitzky at the BSO Tanglewood
Music School. Olmsted Manor was a student resident
hall, originally named Bellarmine Hall, after Cardinal
Bellarmine, and built in 1957. Founders was built in
1963 as an additional resident hall.