 | This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(October 2012) |
Lake Lawn Resort is a resort in Delavan, Wisconsin, United States located on the shores on Delavan Lake. It is located off Highway 50 (Geneva Street), near Interstate 43. Lake Lawn has its own private airport, Lake Lawn Airport.
The north shore of Delavan Lake, where Lake Lawn Resort is situated, was occupied by Native Americans as early as 1000 BC. The resort's construction unearthed many artifacts from these tribes that are currently on display throughout the facility. The original hotel was built there in 1878 as a place for members of the Mabie Circus to stay. When the circus was bought by Barnum and Bailey, it became the winter headquarters of that circus. Famously, when one of Barnum and Bailey's stage elephants died, the circus owners ordered that the elephant be pushed out onto the middle of the lake (conveniently the lake was frozen for the winter). Come springtime and thaw, the semi-preserved elephant's corpse sank under the water once the ice was sufficiently thin.
In 1923, Lake Lawn Lodge became a retreat for the employees of Commonwealth Edison, People's Light and Coke Company, and the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois. Commonwealth Edison added numerous facilities, including a golf course (opened 1928) and a ballroom. In 1929, Commonwealth Edison sold the property, and the new owner opened the hotel to the public; by 1942, the hotel would be open year-round. As the number of vacationers grew, the resort expanded, adding new dining and shopping facilities, a convention center, a remodeled golf course, and its own airport (opened 1948). Guest facilities expanded dramatically, with the addition of Timber Lodge (with an indoor pool and health club, 1958); Boulder Lodge (1962); Woodlawn Lodge (with its own indoor pool, 1968); the paired Shorewood Lodges (1973); and Norwood Lodge (1980). The ballroom burnt to the ground in spectacular fashion in 1978. Under the management of Ramada Inns, the resort added a new reception desk (1980) and outdoor pool (1985). Owing to its age, the majority of the main hotel was demolished in 1984, though the lobby of the main hotel was preserved and renamed the Great Room. Dick Nugent would redesign the golf course in 1990.
The resort underwent many ownership changes between 1990 and 2005. During this time, the complex added the slogan "Resort to the Finest"; shortly thereafter, it became "Lake Lawn Resort". Each change brought a round of renovations to public areas, guest rooms, or the golf course. Delavan Resort Holdings purchased the property in 2004 and embarked on an ambitious $390 million redevelopment plan. $40 million in renovations were completed in 2006 on all of the guest rooms, as well as Timber Pool; the health club area in Timber Lodge became a spa. Woodlawn Lodge, the only guest lodge not connected to the rest of the complex by a walkway, was completely emptied and remodeled using a "coastal" theme into Lakewood Suites; an outdoor pool was added to replace Woodlawn's indoor pool. As part of the redevelopment plan, the entire resort became a condotel, with individual rooms sold as condominium units and "rented" to vacationers. Delavan Resort Holdings would break a major contract involving these "condotel" holdings, leading to a $13.1 million lawsuit.
The present resort contains nearly 300 guest rooms, a conference center (with 22 meeting rooms), three restaurants, a gift shop, a golf course, driving range, airport, marina, three pools, game room, and a spa. On August 5, 2009, Anchor Bank of Madison foreclosed on the property; the bank would then buy the entire resort for $19.97 million at the foreclosure sale on October 7, 2010. Exactly two months later, Lake Lawn Resort was closed, putting 276 employees out of work. Six months after, a group of investors headed by local philanthropist Gregg Kunes formed Delavan Lake Lawn LLC and purchased the property for $9.5 million, with plans to reopen the facility as a resort. The golf course and marina reopened on May 27, 2011. The rest of the resort reopened on July 22, 2011. Though the airport is unmanned, the runway has been reopened.
The Broadmoor is a hotel and resort in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Broadmoor is a member of Historic Hotels of America of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its visitors have included heads of state, celebrities, and professional sports stars. It is owned by The Anschutz Corporation through its subsidiary, The Broadmoor-Sea Island Company.
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the United States with 6,852 rooms. It is also the third-largest hotel complex in the world by number of rooms and second-largest hotel resort complex in the United States behind the combined The Venetian and The Palazzo. When it opened in 1993, the MGM Grand was the largest hotel complex in the world.
Lake Lanier Islands is a resort complex built on a small group of islands on Lake Lanier, the largest lake in Georgia, located 60 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia. The resort complex is a primary recreational destination for the northern Georgian.
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. The resort is the seventh Disney Vacation Club resort and is situated on the former site of the Disney Institute. It first opened May 17, 2004 and was built in three phases. It is now the largest Disney Vacation Club resort. The resort was inspired by the city of Saratoga Springs, New York. Like all other DVC properties, it is considered a deluxe resort.
Shades of Green is a resort owned by the United States Department of Defense (DOD) in the city of Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida on Walt Disney World Resort property. It is one of five Armed Forces Recreation Centers (AFRC) resorts and a part of the military's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program (MWR). The resort, which was expanded between 2004–2006, is self-supporting and operates from non-appropriated funds and all profits are put back into the resort.
The Jasper Park Lodge is a 442 room hotel situated on 700 acre site along Lac Beauvert in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The hotel was established in 1921 by Canadian National Railway and is one of Canada's grand railway hotels.
Harrah's Ak-Chin is a hotel and casino located 39 miles (63 km) south of Phoenix, Arizona in Maricopa. It is owned by the Ak-Chin Indian Community and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The casino features video poker and slot machines, as well as blackjack, live Roulette, live Craps, Baccarat, keno and bingo hall.
Caesars Atlantic City is a luxury hotel, casino, and spa resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, it has an ancient Roman and ancient Greek theme. Atlantic City's second casino, it opened in 1979 as the Boardwalk Regency. The 124,720 sq ft (11,587 m2). casino has over 3,400 slot machines, and is one of the largest in Atlantic City. The resort has experienced much expansion and renovation in the past decade, including a new hotel tower, a new parking garage, and a new shopping center, Playground Pier.
The Concord Resort Hotel ) was a resort in the Borscht Belt of the Catskills, known for its large resort industry in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Located in Kiamesha Lake, New York, United States, the Concord was the largest resort in the region and was also one of the last to finally close in 1998, long after the others closed. At the Concord, there were over 1,500 guest rooms and a dining room that sat 3,000; the resort encompassed some 2,000 acres (8.1 km2). The resort was a kosher establishment, catering primarily to Jewish vacationers from the New York City area, and it was more lavish in decor and activities than comparable large Catskill resorts.
Mountain Lake House (MLH) was a resort located in Smithfield Township, Monroe County, where route U.S. Route 209 and Pennsylvania Route 402 meet in Marshalls Creek, Pennsylvania. The site is located about 5 miles northeast of Stroudsburg.
The Tides Inn is a waterfront resort just off the Rappahannock River in Irvington, Virginia, United States, and located within the Irvington National Register District. Opened in 1947 by entrepreneur E.A. Stephens, it is now owned and operated by Enchantment Group. The East Coast resort on Virginia's Northern Neck, was known for its regional cooking and amenities such as golf and boating ; the Tides Inn slogan "Quiet Quality" appeared in advertisements in The New Yorker. In 1956, Stephens purchased and restored the decommissioned USS Aquamarine to be the star attraction at the resort, renaming it Miss Ann after his wife.
Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park is a state park along the shores of Stonewall Jackson Lake, an impoundment on the West Fork River in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The lake is a project of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The original park was completed in 1990 and consisted of a campground, marina, multi-purpose building, and park offices. The revenues generated from park activities were not able to support the debt from construction activities. Senator Robert C. Byrd developed a legislation that meant the State would not have to pay the Corps the $28 million debt if improvements to the State Park exceeded $28 million.
Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort is a large water resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It is one of the largest indoor waterpark complexes in the world with a combined size of 240,000 square feet (22,000 m2). It is part of a chain of two resorts, the newer and smaller one being Wilderness at the Smokies in Tennessee. The chain also includes four small outdoor waterparks.
Four Seasons Resort Lanai is a Four Seasons resort hotel located in Lanai City on the island of Lānaʻi, the smallest and least inhabited of Hawaii's six major islands that once was recognized for its pineapple plantation. The island of Lānaʻi hosts two other hotels, Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort, and Hotel Lanai, a 3-star boutique hotel.
The Eureka Inn in Eureka, California is a four-story, 104-room Elizabethan Tudor Revival architectural style hotel, which opened in 1922. In February 1982, the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Nevele Grande Hotel (NEV-uh-lee) was a high rise resort hotel located in Wawarsing, New York, United States, just outside Ellenville, New York; it closed in 2009. The Nevele dated back to the days of the Borscht Belt, opening in 1901. “Nevele” is “Eleven” spelled backwards — according to lore, after the eleven nineteenth-century schoolteachers who discovered a waterfall within its present-day property. And according to family lore, the founder Charles Slutsky had had eleven children from 1880-1906 and the name might have came from that instead.
The Briarcliff Lodge was a luxury resort in the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. It 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 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. The lodge 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.
Michillinda Lodge is a summer resort on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Whitehall, Michigan. Its current property was purchased in 1894 by a group of leaseholders and investors from Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana, and named "MICH-ILL-INDA" in reference to those states in 1895. Originally a residential beach association, in 1920 Emanuel "Manny" Duttenhofer purchased an 18-room, 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) summer house on the site, which he subsequently opened as a resort.
Wilderness at the Smokies is a resort located on Wilderness Territories property in Sevierville, Tennessee. It opened in 2008 as part of the new Bridgemont development, which, along with the resort itself, now includes shopping, dining, and conference facilities.
Alderbrook Resort & Spa, aka Alderbrook Inn or Alderbrook, is a hotel located in Union, WA on the southern shores of Hood Canal. Approximately two hours west of Seattle, Alderbrook offers views of nearby Olympic National Park and Mount Washington. Alderbrook opened in 1913 as a group of tent cabins with wood stoves and has been expanded and remodeled numerous times. Today the hotel offers 77 guest rooms and 16 cottages, as well as a restaurant, meeting rooms, salt water pool, spa, two marinas, and two retail spaces.
Bell, Ellen Baker. Lake Lawn. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2009.
Duwe, Gina. "Lake Lawn deal is great news for community, Delavan official says." Janesville Gazette, 21 May 2011.
Hagensee, Brennan. "My home away from home, Lake Lawn.", 30 January 2019.
