Camp Wild Air
Why it's listed
Camp Wild Air sits on a small point on the north shore of Upper St. Regis Lake in Franklin County, reachable only by boat. Begun in 1882, it is considered the earliest permanent camp in the Upper St. Regis area. Of its 12 buildings, 10 date from about 1890 to 1931 and contribute to its character. Small, polygonal log-veneered pavilions extend over the water, including a sitting room, a billiard room and the guest house known as the Bishop's Palace. A fire in 1916 destroyed the main lodge and a bedroom building. Replacements built in 1917-1920, including a cruciform log living room with a vaulted ceiling, were overseen by William Rutherford Mead of McKim, Mead and White. Service buildings such as boathouses, a carpenter shop and a guide house show how self-sufficient these camps were. Newspaper publisher and diplomat Whitelaw Reid developed the camp, and his family has kept it since.
Significance in brief: It is described as the first permanent camp in the Upper St. Regis Lake area and introduced the polygonal lakeside pavilion to the Adirondack rustic style. The post-fire rebuilding of 1917-1920 is attributed to McKim, Mead and White, its only known rustic camp work. The camp was developed by publisher and diplomat Whitelaw Reid and has stayed in his family, and it shows the self-sufficient Great Camp layout.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86002930, listed November 7, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Upper St. Regis Lake, Upper St. Regis |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 7, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002930 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1890-1930 |
| Architect / builder | Architect William Rutherford Mead of McKim, Mead and White supervised the 1917-1920 rebuilding; the form's builder/architect field says unknown. |
| Architectural style | Adirondack rustic (Great Camp); the bedroom cottage is described as Shingle style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residence in good condition; accessible only by water. Altered by a 1961 dining room addition and a 1974 winter cabin. |
| Acreage | 28.9 |
| Coordinates | 44.40890, -74.27421 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86002930.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5027685
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.