NOTE: Picture taken in 1956

Northwoods Inn
a brief history

 The Northwoods Inn is a hotel with lots of character and an interesting history.

Since the 1800s, Lake Placid has been a destination to tourists and outdoor enthusiasts.  By 1900, Lake Placid was recognized as a resort destination with seven major hotels and several smaller inns and cottages.

A hotelier named Frank Swift had the dream to build a modern, fireproof hotel, where he could host high profile guests with all of the luxuries and comforts of a city hotel. In 1926 he achieved this goal with the construction of the Hotel Marcy. The grandest hotel in Lake Placid, Hotel Marcy was named for Mount Marcy, the grandest mountain in New York.  In addition to the new building, the Hotel Marcy included several former summer homes to be rented as cottages, and the old Northwoods Inn, which was used for housing staff, storage and kitchen facilities.  In total, the hotel included 160 guest rooms, 125 bathrooms, a dining room and meeting space.

The Marcy was unlike anything else in Lake Placid and it was immediately popular with both local residents and visitors.  It was a choice location for weddings, parties and community events. The hotel also attracted many tourists including celebrities George Burns and Gracie Allen.

Fast forwarding into the next century and after changing identities several times, the Northwoods Inn captured the hearts and imaginations of three hoteliers from the Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration.  Gary Smith, Justin Smith and Jamie D’Alessandro realized the great potential of the property and purchased it in July 2005 with the goal of restoring it to the grandeur of the original Hotel Marcy.  The hotel is currently under major renovations to restore it as the community icon that it once was.