THE LAKE HOUSE on CANANDAIGUA.
Legend has it that the Seneca Nation of Indians emerged from the earth at Bare Hill, perched high above one of the larger of the Finger Lakes. The Native Americans believed that these bodies of water were formed when the Great Spirit laid his hands on the land to bless it, his fingers leaving imprints that filled with water.By DORIS CHEVRON Photography CHRIS CHURCHILL
REALIZING THIS PROJECT IS WHAT BILL CALEO CALLS ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPERIENCES OF HIS LIFE
Canandaigua is a coveted vacation spot for downstate New Yorkers; Most guest rooms have private terraces and water views; a spacious living room leading to the master suite
WHEN IT CAME TO NAMING THE LAKES, the Seneca called the one below Bare Hill Canandaigua, a word that in the Seneca language means, The Chosen Place. The name still rings true. The area is a coveted vacation spot for downstate New Yorkers who come to enjoy a fertile landscape dotted with country houses, vineyards, and wineries.
Bill Caleo has known since childhood about the beauty of Lake Canandaigua. A luxury property developer now based in Brooklyn, Caleo spent summer vacations here when he was young, learning to sail in a tiny plastic Sunfish crisscrossing the sixteen-mile-long lake. Two years ago, drawing on such memories, Caleo, now 45, decided it was time to embark on an ambitious mission: elevate the level of hospitality options in the area by building a new waterfront hotel. The result is The Lake House on Canandaigua, the new luxury resort that is the first of its kind on the banks of Canandaigua Lake.
Caleo clearly remembers the moment when his passion for the venture took root. The year was 1994, and he was at a picnic table in his grandfather’s garden, having breakfast right by the shore of the lake. A property called The Inn on The Lake in Canandaigua’s small town on the northern tip had just come up for sale in foreclosure. It was a motor lodge with most rooms facing the parking lot, taking little advantage of its prime location right by the water. “My dad said jokingly that we should buy it,” Caleo says, “and my grandfather said that he had just had the same idea.” So the family acquired the neglected building. “I was excited to my core, and that moment stuck with me ever since,” Caleo recalls.
Entrepreneurial blood clearly runs in Caleo’s family. His grandfather, Marvin Sands, founded the Canandaigua Wine Company in the early ‘50s, at age 21. Over the years, it morphed into Constellation Brands, a multi-billion dollar company that produces and markets an extensive portfolio of spirits, wine, and beer ranging from Robert Mondavi to the American distributorship of Corona (which is selling briskly, Caleo assures us).
After college, where he was a business major, Caleo bought and modernized apartments and townhouses in Brooklyn. Eventually, the venture became The Brooklyn Home Company, usually shortened to TBHCo. TBHCo is a cooperative of builders and artists interested in creating innovative living spaces. With projects all over the country, it is still something of a family affair: Among its employees are several members of the extended Sands clan.
One of the founding partners — and the Creative Director — is his sister Lindsay Caleo Karol, a goldsmith and interior designer.
“Canandaigua Lake has always occupied a soft spot in my heart,” says Caleo, who resides in Brooklyn and the Catskills but frequently visits the Finger Lakes to see his parents.” At some point, we started talking about replacing the motel my father had renovated in the ‘90s with a first-rate, family-run resort.” The vision called for a compound right by the water, just like his grandfather’s, on a larger but still intimate scale. “We want to create an endless summer.”
With vacation travel somewhat dominated by the coronavirus — and by the limited appeal of flying somewhere far away to relax — The Lake House on Canandaigua, opened on August 15th, is a tempting new alternative. The resort lies within comfortable driving distance of New York City, Toronto, Westchester, and the Catskills, in a region with a reassuringly low infection rate.
As a design partner for the resort, TBHCo chose Studio Tack, located in Brooklyn’s trendy Dumbo district, with boutique hotel projects like Scribner’s Catskill Lodge in Hunter, New York, and the Sound View on Long Island’s North Fork already to their credit.” We let the Studio Tack team with their experience in hospitality take the lead, and sprinkled in our furniture and custom art.”
Rather than one massive building, the resort’s masterplan features three unobtrusive structures, encompassing 125 rooms and suites. Most have a private terrace and water views. Meandering paths cut through the attractively landscaped nine-acre-property which is bordered on two sides by water. With a boardwalk that runs along Lake Canandaigua and a creek feeding in from the north, lake access and its related activities — waterskiing, kayaking, and fishing for trout, bass, and perch, as well as watching the seaplanes land and take off — will prove to be the main attractions for Lake House guests.
Two restaurant buildings and a post-and-beam event barn that can accommodate up to 500 people complete the ensemble. The Caleos and Studio Tack share a vision of sustainability. To reduce the ecological impact, the hotel will use geothermal power from deep down below.
The Executive Chef Scott Riesenberger, who runs the Rose Tavern, draws on his past positions with renowned chefs Alain Ducasse and David Bouley; repurposed wood furniture and minimal art pieces accent the guest rooms throughout
WITH VACATION TRAVEL SOMEWHAT DOMINATED BY THE CORONAVIRUS... THE LAKE HOUSE ON CANANDAIGUA IS A TEMPTING NEW ALTERNATIVE
The lobby, the library, and the rooms follow TBHC’s design doctrine: a timeless palette, clean, modern, and bright. A simple aesthetic that concentrates on white and wood. Strong accents are provided by furniture and art pieces throughout, many made from re-purposed wood. These are designed by Lindsay Caleo’s artist-husband Fitzhugh Karol and carved or manufactured by a network of makers in the area.
Caleo and his sister are known for attention to the smallest detail, be it renovations or new construction. When the teak deckchairs proved a little too uncomfortable after sitting in them for a while, cushions were whipped up to order. The waitstaff had been outfitted in long khaki trousers, but a heatwave in the region this summer forced the team to add shorts as part of their uniform. The ultimate test came shortly before the opening when several members of the Sands clan took up residence right after the beds and the bedding was delivered. Ideas for last-minute-refinements were welcomed by all involved. “We learn as we go,” says Caleo.
Bar (no “s”) built right on the hotel dock, a restored 1950’s wooden motorboat is suspended from the ceiling. Happily, in these times of social distancing, many of the tables are arrayed outside right by the water’s edge. The signature drink, a Curaçao-based cocktail called Blue Whale, will be served in pitchers because of high demand from patrons.
Asked to name his favorite hotel, the world-traveler Caleo mentions Esencia in Tulum, originally built as the private home of an Italian duchess. “You can feel that the vibe comes from the owner’s heart.” A sentiment the Sands family has recreated on Lake Canandaigua.
Realizing this project is what Bill Caleo calls one of the greatest experiences of his life. “It took a lot of dreaming, obsession, and hands-on involvement,” he says. So much that his girlfriend already jokingly raises the question of what they might talk about after the opening.
Not to worry. Chances are that there will be more hotels on The Brooklyn Home Company’s horizon. But for now, the most gloriously accessible can be found at Lake Canandaigua, The Chosen Place.
Bathrooms designed with a simple aesthetic that concentrates on white and wood
