The Mirror Lake Inn was originally built in 1926 by Climena Alford and her new husband William Rufus Wikoff of Massachusetts. Mr. Wikoff, the founder of the Fuller Brush Company, created what was then called the Mir-a-Lac Inn out of an old estate in the town of Lake Placid, New York. The Inn quickly became known as a seasonal, high-quality resort attracting wealthy clientele from all over the state, especially New York City and Boston.
In reality, the town of Lake Placid, New York is on the edge of Mirror Lake, which is a couple of miles from Lake Placid.
The Inn was winterized in 1933 for the Winter Olympics and hosted the entire Norwegian team during the games. Mr. Wikoff took title of the Inn the same year and changed the name to Mirror Lake Inn. The Inn has always been a center for regional sports and was the site of the first ski lift and bobsled run in the area. It was also the location for Lake Placid's first skating camp and housed such champions-to-be as Dick Button, Toller Cranston, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Ann Nelson, Pieter Kollen and many others.
Prior to 1978, when construction of the new buildings began, the Inn consisted of a series of private cottages surrounding a main building. The Inn remained unchanged until 1988 when the main building of the Inn burned to the ground. The Inn was immediately rebuilt that year in the same tradition and elegance of the building it replaced.
Today the main building houses the lobby and registration area, a beautiful wood paneled living room area where afternoon tea is served, the library with an exquisite stone fireplace and the Averil Conwell Dining Room. Below the main floor is another level where you find a 60', stone indoor pool with a waterfall as well as a large jacuzzi. The facility also has a sauna, exercise room and a full service spa and salon offering everything from hair styling and manicures to a variety of massage treatments.
Today the Mirror Lake Inn consists of 124 sleeping rooms: 17 luxury suites, 100 superior rooms and 7 colonial bedrooms. All of the rooms are appointed with Thomasville solid cherry, colonial-style furnishings. The rooms have private baths, color cable TV, heat, air conditioning, touch-tone phones and a refrigerator. The bathrooms feature oversized towels, hair dryers, make-up mirrors, special soaps and shampoos. All the rooms have a private terrace with some type of lake or mountain view.
Our room was a lovely split-level suite in the main building with a gorgeous view of Mirror Lake and the surrounding mountains. The lower floor of the suite featured a large living room with a wide screen, color TV, a good sized terrace and a large master bath with an inviting private, 2-seat Jacuzzi tub. A spiral staircase lead up to the bedroom and contained a comfortable king-sized bed, color TV, second bathroom (with shower) and a refrigerator. The room was decorated with historic photographs from Lake Placid and the Inn's past (a complimentary and informative touch.) An intelligent feature in the room was a convenient set of remote controls for all the lights in the room, the ceiling fan and powered window shades.
It was a very pleasant room and would be a wonderful place to relax following a day on the ski slopes, cross country skiing, hiking, biking, canoeing, boating or fishing on the lakes. You can order pizza to be delivered to your room from several of the local pizzerias. The only thing the room lacked, that would have made it perfect, was a fireplace.
In addition to the main building there are two others -- the Terrace and Mountain View, with hotel style rooms. There are three cottages still available to rent. There are the Clune and Colonial Houses. The third, Lake Cottage, is across the road from the main building and has balconies directly over Mirror Lake. It is next door to the Cottage Cafe, a pub restaurant, with spectacular picture windows, a deck with exceptional views of the lake, and fantastic chili.
The Mirror Lake Inn is located 1-1/2 blocks from the main street in the town of Lake Placid. The town features the Olympic Village, shops with both international and local items some featuring work by the Adirondack's finest artists, and many superb restaurants -- we especially like Nicola's on Main. The Inn offers midweek discount packages in both the winter and spring. Summer and fall are the busy seasons and the Mirror Lake Inn is an excellent base for viewing the incredible fall colors of the Adirondack Mountains.
For information or to make reservations call the Mirror Lake Inn at (518) 523-2544. The fax number is (518) 523-2871. The address is 5 Mirror Lake Drive, Lake Placid, New York 12946.
