Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Historic Building/Structure Survey #405-0021. This MHPC refers to the present house on the site of the Island House. Map 4 - Lot 102.
Description: Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Historic Building/Structure Survey #405-0021. This MHPC refers to the present house on the site of the Island House. Map 4 - Lot 102.
"Later [Abraham Somes] built a substantial frame house on the site of the Somes House and a part of that house is embodied in the present hotel. Some of the rooms at the back remain almost as they were at first. The house was built as a one-story building and later the walls were raised. Since then there have been many alterations and additions. George A. Somes finally inherited the property, developed the hotel business and built the two cottages toward the shore. His widow now owns it and conducts the hotel." - “Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine” by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, 1938, p. 270-271. “When George A. Somes inherited the [Somes House], he expanded the family inn by constructing two large additions, one attached at the left and the other freestanding to the right, giving the hotel a capacity of 150 guests. Noted visitors included Louis Comfort Tiffany, Alfred Vanderbilt, Joseph Pulitzer, J.P. Morgan, Pres. William Howard Taft, and Mary Cassatt. Known for its chicken and lobster dinners, the Somes House operated into the 1950s with rates of $5 to $10 a day." - “Mount Desert Island - Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor” by Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. and Lydia B. Vandenbergh - Images of America Series, 2001, p. 27.
Description: "Later [Abraham Somes] built a substantial frame house on the site of the Somes House and a part of that house is embodied in the present hotel. Some of the rooms at the back remain almost as they were at first. The house was built as a one-story building and later the walls were raised. Since then there have been many alterations and additions. George A. Somes finally inherited the property, developed the hotel business and built the two cottages toward the shore. His widow now owns it and conducts the hotel." - “Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine” by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, 1938, p. 270-271. “When George A. Somes inherited the [Somes House], he expanded the family inn by constructing two large additions, one attached at the left and the other freestanding to the right, giving the hotel a capacity of 150 guests. Noted visitors included Louis Comfort Tiffany, Alfred Vanderbilt, Joseph Pulitzer, J.P. Morgan, Pres. William Howard Taft, and Mary Cassatt. Known for its chicken and lobster dinners, the Somes House operated into the 1950s with rates of $5 to $10 a day." - “Mount Desert Island - Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor” by Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. and Lydia B. Vandenbergh - Images of America Series, 2001, p. 27. [show more]
One of two gate lodges (the other being the Jordan Pond Gate Lodge) built for John D. Rockefeller Jr. to serve as entry points to his system of carriage roads and to guard against the entry of automobiles. The Brown Mountain Gate Lodge is the larger of the two, with a small complex consisting of a gate house, carriage house, and a care taker's house. The carriage road no longer passes through the grand gate. The two lodges were designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, a New York architect who had previously designed the Congregational Church in Seal Harbor. Atterbury shared Rockefeller's dedication to philanthropy and was one of the few architects to study and use light and ventilation in tenement buildings. These lodges allowed Atterbury to design for the aesthetics of a grand estate and the purpose of housing the working class families that cared for the carriage roads. The gate lodges were subsequently given to Acadia National Park along with the system of carriage roads. In the years since, they have served as housing for park employees. While they are no longer necessary to guard against the entry of automobiles, they serve as a reminder of this long tradition and as architectural gems within the Park.
Description: One of two gate lodges (the other being the Jordan Pond Gate Lodge) built for John D. Rockefeller Jr. to serve as entry points to his system of carriage roads and to guard against the entry of automobiles. The Brown Mountain Gate Lodge is the larger of the two, with a small complex consisting of a gate house, carriage house, and a care taker's house. The carriage road no longer passes through the grand gate. The two lodges were designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, a New York architect who had previously designed the Congregational Church in Seal Harbor. Atterbury shared Rockefeller's dedication to philanthropy and was one of the few architects to study and use light and ventilation in tenement buildings. These lodges allowed Atterbury to design for the aesthetics of a grand estate and the purpose of housing the working class families that cared for the carriage roads. The gate lodges were subsequently given to Acadia National Park along with the system of carriage roads. In the years since, they have served as housing for park employees. While they are no longer necessary to guard against the entry of automobiles, they serve as a reminder of this long tradition and as architectural gems within the Park. [show more]
One of two gate lodges (the other being the Brown Mountain Gate Lodge) built for John D. Rockefeller Jr. to serve as entry points to his system of carriage roads and to guard against the entry of automobiles. They were built in 1931-1932. The Jordan Pond Gate Lodge is located just south of Jordan Pond on the Loop Road. It is the smaller of the two lodges. The two lodges were designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, a New York architect who had previously designed the Congregational Church in Seal Harbor. Atterbury shared Rockefeller's dedication to philanthropy and was one of the few architects to study and use light and ventilation in tenement buildings. These lodges allowed Atterbury to design for the aesthetics of a grand estate and the purpose of housing the working class families that cared for the carriage roads. While the exteriors appear castle-like, the interiors are modest and were clearly designed with the needs of the residents in mind. The gate lodges were subsequently given to Acadia National Park along with the system of carriage roads. In the years since, they have served as housing for park employees. While they are no longer necessary to guard against the entry of automobiles, they serve as a reminder of this long tradition and as architectural gems within the Park.
Description: One of two gate lodges (the other being the Brown Mountain Gate Lodge) built for John D. Rockefeller Jr. to serve as entry points to his system of carriage roads and to guard against the entry of automobiles. They were built in 1931-1932. The Jordan Pond Gate Lodge is located just south of Jordan Pond on the Loop Road. It is the smaller of the two lodges. The two lodges were designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, a New York architect who had previously designed the Congregational Church in Seal Harbor. Atterbury shared Rockefeller's dedication to philanthropy and was one of the few architects to study and use light and ventilation in tenement buildings. These lodges allowed Atterbury to design for the aesthetics of a grand estate and the purpose of housing the working class families that cared for the carriage roads. While the exteriors appear castle-like, the interiors are modest and were clearly designed with the needs of the residents in mind. The gate lodges were subsequently given to Acadia National Park along with the system of carriage roads. In the years since, they have served as housing for park employees. While they are no longer necessary to guard against the entry of automobiles, they serve as a reminder of this long tradition and as architectural gems within the Park. [show more]