A pond – Photography, Images and Cameras

This pond is the subject of my latest photobook. It includes these pictures and others taken in the past. I can’t usually get to the other end of the pond because in other seasons it’s too overgrown. But at this of year I was able, with some effort and numerous scratches from the many thorny bushes to reach the far side.

In the introduction to the book I write:

“The subject is a sad, lonely looking pond. What makes it interesting is that it’s on the site of the former Briarcliff Lodge, a luxury resort in the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. The Lodge was a notable example of Tudor Revival architecture, and was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. It was also the first hotel in Westchester County. Walter William Law (the founder of Briarcliff Manor) had it built on his estate, and the Law family owned it until 1937. When the lodge opened in 1902, it was one of the largest resort hotels in the world. It hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities, and was the scene of numerous memorable occasions for visitors and local residents who attended weddings, receptions, and dances in the ballroom and dining room. For a long time, the lodge was situated among other businesses of Walter Law, including the Briarcliff Farms and Briarcliff Table Water Company.

In 1933, the lodge ended year-round service and housed a “health-diet sanitarium” until the Edgewood Park School for Girls began operation there from 1937 to 1954. From 1936 to 1939, the lodge was run again as a hotel in the summer months while the school was closed. From 1955 to 1994, The King’s College used the lodge building and built dormitories and academic buildings. Abandoned and unmaintained after 1994, the Briarcliff Lodge was destroyed in a catastrophic fire between 2003 and 2004 (Adapted from Wikipedia).”

It’s said that this was once the Lodge’s swimming pool. Local legend has it that if you were to dive to the bottom you’d find tiles.