The Sheldon Mansion
An Historic Inn
The Sheldon Mansion An Historic Inn
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Granville Sentinel
New owners Stephen and Marianne Lynch have transformed the former Emma Laing Stevens Hospital, once the private estate of slate baron Frederick C. Sheldon, who built the stately structure in 1906. It has been restored “to its original grandeur to accommodate guests in beautifully appointed rooms with private baths,” the Lynches say in a flyer about their inn, which opened without fanfare in May. Sheldon owned six successful slate quarries, including the still-operating Sheldon Slate Co. in Middle Granville. “The structural integrity of the building, nearly 100 years old, is a testament to the quality of the original construction,” said Stephen Lynch, who is a structural engineer. When it was built, Sheldon decided to have the walls of the mansion constructed of 18-inch red quarry stone with a two-foot thick solid slate foundation. And like many other homes in the area, the mansion has a slate roof. The 22-room mansion, which sits on 10 acres, now has nine guest bedrooms, each named after towns in the area. For example, there is the Granville Room, the Champlain Room, the Saratoga Room and the Manchester Room. Prices range from $90 to $150, depending on the room. The original master suite, now the Granville Room, is the nicest guest room, the Lynches say, decorated in deep reds. A room off to the side serves as a dressing room, although it is just about the same size as the bedroom. The Lynches have furnished the inn with pieces from both Manchester Wood and Telescope Casual Furniture, places at which Marianne said she shopped when she was a little girl. The inside of the mansion has its original wooden floors with elaborate designs, still smooth to the touch. A room downstairs serves its original purpose as an office, once used by Sheldon, now used by Stephen. A fireplace in the office extends directly upstairs to a room identical to the office. Sheldon’s wife, Bertha Thorne Sheldon, originally used the room as her “ladies” room, a place for her to relax or study. Today the room, painted with soft blues and decorated with casual furniture, is used by Marianne to read, watch television or just relax. The rooms are each filled with antique furniture, always complete sets, Stephen said, and there are subtleties in each room about the area. These subtleties include a bicentennial book of the area, old postcards from Granville and a piece of a pipe left by the original builder. “I think that this will be helpful as Granville’s history,” Stephen said. Stephen, originally from the Boston area, and Marianne, originally from Saratoga, said they love history, and Granville’s rich history was part of the draw for the two to come to the town. They said they want to share the history with the visitors of the inn. Part of Granville’s history is the mansion itself. In 1944, 10 years after Sheldon’s death, the mansion became the Emma Laing Stevens Hospital and many Granville area residents used the hospital; in fact, many residents were born there. Stephen said the closet under the stairway served as a telephone booth for people to call and tell their families: “we had a baby.” The Lynches have their own history in the mansion – Stephen proposed to Marianne on the veranda on New Year’s Eve 2002 and they were married at the same spot on July 10. Just about every inch of the mansion has some sort of intricate detail, and family heirlooms add to the warmth of the house, Marianne said. “We just want it to be cozy and comfortable for guests,” Marianne said. When guests wake up in the morning they are greeted with a home-made continental breakfast in the solarium, the sunroom. Originally the solarium was open, but now it is enclosed with glass, but you can still get a breathtaking view of the valley and hills that surround the mansion. Guests definitely won’t go hungry, Marianne said. Fresh biscotti, a refrigerator filled with drinks and other details are intended to make the guests feel welcome and comfortable. When the inn opened in May, there was no official grand opening. The Lynches said they wanted to ease into the opening to help with the relaxed feel of the inn. The inn is still undergoing fine-tuning. As Stephen said, “you should always be reinventing yourself.” With just about everything in the mansion in its original form, from the slate walls and foundation, wooden doorway, stain glass windows, wooden floors, and marble window sills, the mansion looks and feels like it must have nearly a century ago. Anyone interested in staying at the inn, or in just taking a look, is welcome to call Stephen or Marianne Lynch at 642-0000. |
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The Sheldon Mansion 48 North Street Granville, New York 12832 (518) 642-0000 Copyright © 2007 [The Sheldon Mansion]. All rights reserved. |