| July 22, 2005
Hotel of the Week: The American Hotel,
Sharon Springs, New York
By Laura Byrne Paquet
Quintessentially small-town U.S.A.
Quick – call to mind the quintessential American small town. What do you see? Flags fluttering from the porches of 19th-century homes? A big brick school? Shopkeepers chatting with customers?
If your vision of small-town U.S.A. was formed by a steady diet of Frank Capra movies, Sharon Springs, New York, and its aptly named American Hotel may be just the place for you.
The village, about an hour west of Albany in largely rural Schoharie County, sprang to prominence in the mid-1800s as a hot-springs resort. Wealthy New Yorkers and Bostonians flocked there to stay at grand hotels and “take the waters” at the Magnesia Temple.
But times and tastes changed. The crowds dwindled and many of the hotels and baths were abandoned. The village shrank to a shadow of its former self.
But a few determined souls—shopkeepers, amateur historians, members of the chamber of commerce—stubbornly clung to the idea that Sharon Springs could once more be a tourist destination. After all, stressed-out city dwellers always say they’re looking for some peace—and Sharon Springs, with about 550 year-round residents, is certainly quiet. But it’s also within an easy drive of big-name attractions such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the Glimmerglass Opera festival and Howe Caverns.
Garth Roberts and Doug Plummer were among many who saw the town’s potential. The two Manhattanites—Roberts was a Broadway conductor and musician, while Plummer was an actor—came to Schoharie County years ago looking for a weekend home. They bought one in Sharon Springs in 1990, and moved to the village permanently two years later to start a café. The vacant shell of a grand old inn—the American Hotel, built in 1847—fascinated them both.
“We always had our eyes on this building,” says Roberts. “We’d drive by it every day on our way to work.”
Just as James Stewart and Donna Reed throw stones at a grand, abandoned house in It’s a Wonderful Life, Roberts and Plummer would toss silver dollars onto the long, galleried porch of the American at night and dream of bringing the white clapboard inn back to its former glory. As they said to each other at the time, Roberts recalls, “This historical artefact is going to be gone unless somebody saves it.”
In 1996, they bought the building for just $18,000 and began an arduous restoration. It wasn’t merely a matter of fixing a few broken windows and giving the walls a fresh coat of paint. Rain had been pouring through the shattered roof for years, turning the dining room into a skating rink each winter. The foundation needed to be redone, and the floors stabilized. In all, the pair poured about $600,000 into the project.
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The American Hotel re-opened for business in May 2001, as other entrepreneurs were opening or restoring nearby shops and cafés. Soon, reporters from The New York Times and Spa Finder were writing about the town’s nascent renaissance. The state parks and recreation department recognized the American Hotel’s restoration with a historic preservation award in 2003.
Even though the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, staying there doesn’t feel like lodging in a museum. In fact, it feels more like visiting really cool friends who just happen to have a very large house. Either Plummer or Roberts is usually manning the front desk in the bright lobby, cheerfully greeting guests, proffering tourist advice and directing visitors to the sunny terrace, the 25-seat pub or the 50-seat fine-dining restaurant.
The hotel’s vintage ambiance extends to the nine guest rooms, which are beautifully appointed with country antiques but decidedly on the small side (19th-century travelers apparently didn’t demand seating areas or dance-hall sized bathrooms). And don’t expect to lie in bed watching late-night talk shows—the owners purposely didn’t install TVs, as part of their plan to create a peaceful atmosphere.
“We have guests say, ‘What are we going to do? There’s no TV in the room!’” Roberts says with a chuckle. However, he adds, most visitors come to appreciate the respite from electronic entertainment as part of the village’s unhurried groove.
Indeed, Sharon Springs is not for people who want bustle. But if you’re intrigued by the idea of a village with a storied past on the cusp of a great revival, you’ll be charmed. As Maureen Lodes, co-owner of the Cobbler & Co. gift shop across the street from the American puts it, “Sharon Springs is one of those places—you either get it, or you don’t.” |
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