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 PUTTIN' ON THE
GLITZ
The Adelphi Hotel takes
visitors
back to a golden era.
WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY
ESTHER AND FRANKLIN SCHMIDT
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The gilded Victorian era in Saratoga, New York, included diamonds,
furs, formal balls and wall-to-wall millionaires. The town
was a resplendent retreat where wealthy New Yorkers and international
socialites flocked, often gathering at Saratoga's renowned
horse races. In some ways, the city still hold that same glamorous
allure.
A century later, the well-heeled still visit, but now Saratoga
has extended its hospitality beyond the Carnegies, Vanderbilts
and summer season sophisticates. Visitors pour in from all
over the U.S. throughout the year to "take the waters" of Saratoga's
famous warm springs, to visit the spectacular lakes and mountains
surrounding the town, and to fill the town to overflowing during
the height of the highly social August horseracing events.
This
Old-World, upstate New York town is the perfect setting for
the quintessential Victorian hotel, the Adelphi. Built in 1877,
by a railcar conductor had the vision to know how to invest
his money, the grand old Italianate was set on the site of
another, smaller hotel that had been razed just a few years
before.
Almost instantly, the Adelphi became the place to see and be
seen. Here, the robber barons rubbed shoulders with gamblers,
artists, politicians, sportsmen and robber baron wannabes.
These were the days of grand balls, garden parties and opulent
wardrobes to match each event.
For 20 years, the hotel remained in the hands of its original
owner and then was sold to the owner of a next-door property
called the American Hotel. The two hotels were run as one,
called the American-Adelphi until the 1920's.
The hotel's most elaborate and elegant refurbishment began
when Gregg Siefker and Sheila Parkert bought the hotel in 1979.
The late 1970s had brought another era--urban renewal. Throughout
those inglorious years, landmark buildings throughout the U.S.
were torn down without concern for history or aesthetics, to
make room for new overpasses, highways and parking garages.
This was to be the fate of the grand old Adelphi.
Fresh out of the University of Nebraska and in love with Saratoga,
Gregg and Sheila were determined to save the hotel. Sheila
recalls, "We were able to buy the place for reasonable
amount of money. Having been out of business for almost 20
years and without a roof, competition for the Adelphi was not
huge."
Minus a roof, it had a population of pigeons, raccoons and
bats.
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Above: Butter cream, pale yellow and
eggshell white make this formal French room both sumptuously
elegant and decadently comfortable.
Below: Mauve tones were always a Victorian favorite.
Returning guests consider this suite a popular choice. |
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Utilizing Gregg's entrepreneurial acumen and Sheila's passion
for design, within a year, they had the hotel up and running.
Sheila immersed herself in the project and, in the process,
became both hotelier and self-proclaimed 'professional' in
historic interior design.
For Sheila, this draw to Saratoga began as a child in Nebraska
where her grand passions were the novel, Saratoga
Trunk, and
ballet. Knowing that world famous choreographer George Balanchine
was headquartered in Saratoga, she felt compelled to come to
upstate New York from the Midwest.
 Dreams have a way of changing, and ballet with Balanchine was
not to be. Not one for missing a beat despite attempts at
different careers, Sheila enrolled in the Albany Law School.
"I never actually took the bar exam. By the time I graduated,
we had this hotel business that needed us both full time."
Sheila recalls the reconstruction, "After we got a new
roof in place, it was remarkable how little damage there was
to the inner workings of the building." The couple turned
their attention to redecorating. "Gregg and I strongly
felt that we wanted to bring the hotel back to the high style
spirit of what it must have been like in its early days." Smart
enough to realize they couldn't redo all the rooms, lobby and
courtyard at one time, the couple tackled several rooms each
year.
Space by space, room by room, Sheila installed Schumacher,
and Brunswig & Fils wallpapers that were true to the Victorian
era and the early elegance of the Adelphi. Upholstering and
draping with bolts of 19th-century style fabrics that Sheila
found at bargain prices in New York City added to the historic
décor
of the hotel. As Sheila and Gregg also ferreted out fine old
furnishings, some of which came from now defunct grand hotels
of Saratgoa, the couple slowly began to rejuvenate the Adelphi.
Like
most houses of past eras, the Adelphi's décor harkens
from both earlier and later design periods. Most houses borrow
furnishing styles from surrounding generations, and there were
no greater borrowers of design concepts than the Victorians
whose curiosity and imaginations allowed them to utilize styles
from any era they found appealing.
Although Gregg passed away several years ago, Sheila continually updates the
39 guest rooms, parlors and prches, as well as the wicker- and palm-filled courtyard.
Each space is unique, but she incorporates opulent, lush and romantic style everywhere.
Her returning guest are delighted to discover what changes were made since their
last visit. On any given afternoon or evening during the season (the Adelphi
is open from April through October), guests can enjoy a drink at the bar, relax
in the Neoclassical style lobby, swim in the pool or read the paper on the second
floor balcony.
For those who long for turn-of-the century romance, the Adelphi Hotel has captured
the grandeur of the Gilded Age, right in the heart of Saratoga Springs, New York.
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Adjacent to a lattice-framed courtyard, this is a great
spot for morning coffee. Original 19th -century black wicker
chairs are covered in floral chintz reminiscent of a Victorian
solarium. |
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Article taken from Victorian
Homes |
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The
Adelphi Hotel
365 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518)587-4688 Fax: 518-587-0851
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©1998-2009 |
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