Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Education, Industry & Commerce

Location

136 Clinton Point Dr, Plattsburgh, NY 12901, USA

Lat/Long

44.647862, -73.440083

Grant Recipient

Clinton Community College

In June 1890, Hotel Champlain opened in Plattsburgh in Clinton County, New York. Overlooking Lake Champlain, the resort hotel attracted prominent guests, including five United States presidents. The 25th president of the United States, President William McKinley summered at the hotel in 1897 and 1899. Other presidents to visit Hotel Champlain included Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In May 1910, the hotel was destroyed by a fire. The summer season had not yet begun, so no guests were staying at the hotel at the time of the fire. There were however, 60 employees in the hotel, but all were able to escape the fire. A May 26, 1910 edition of The Sun states that the fire “could be seen in two States and several counties” and that it was not known how the fire started. The New York Times reported that the cause of the fire was “believed to have resulted from a lighted cigarette or cigar carelessly thrown aside.” Regardless of the origin of the fire, the hotel was rebuilt and reopened in July 1911.

In July 1951, the hotel closed and was purchased and converted into a private Jesuit college. By 1966 the Jesuit college had closed. In 1969, Clinton Community College began leasing the building, with the college opening for classes in September of that year. In 1972, the Clinton County Legislature purchased the property for $1,045,000. As of 2022, the former Hotel Champlain was the Moore Academic & Administration Building on the campus of Clinton Community College.