Whitcomb Summit in the Headlines

Group plans summit condos

By Ryan Hutton, North Adams Transcript

Article Launched:?07/26/2007 11:35:58 AM EDT

Chef Steve Wilkinson, left, Jae Chung, Eric Rudd and Edward and Carol Drummond announce the...

Thursday, July 26

FLORIDA ? North Adams artist and real estate developer Eric Rudd has joined forces with well-known restaurateur Jae Chung and the owners of the Whitcomb Summit Motel in plans to create a resort on the mountaintop that will include up to 50 condominium units.

Rudd announced Wednesday that he, Chung and motel owners Carol and Ed Drummond plan to upgrade the property's 18 motel rooms, renovate its existing nine cabins and add 23 more, plus turn a small cafe next to the motel into an Irish pub.

"We formed this partnership to figure out how to restore and revitalize Whitcomb Summit," Rudd said at a press conference at the motel. "Everybody knows how important these historic places are, and this will be a challenge. The truth is, you can't go to a bank these days and say you need $800,000 to fix a place up. At the same time, you don't want the place to deteriorate to the point where the bulldozers come."

To meet construction and renovation costs, Rudd said, all the motel rooms and cabins will be sold as condominiums, starting at $44,995 for the smallest rooms and going up to $119,995 for the largest cabin. Each condo will also carry a standard $150-per-month maintenance fee. Condo sizes range from about 264 square feet to more than 500. Owners would be able to rent out units to recoup their costs, or the management would rent the rooms for them.

A lodge has existed on the summit since 1914, when one was first built to meet the growing automobile traffic on the Mohawk Trail. The Drummonds purchased the motel and adjoining property ? close to 19 acres ? in 2002 and 2003 from George Garivaltis for a total of $184,000.

"We're very pleased that we have this team and to have our dream come true, finally," Carol Drummond said. "We're just excited and can't wait for people to come and join us for the new opening next spring."

When Drummond and her husband bought the motel, there were 14 cabins on the property, eight in good condition and six deteriorating ones. Currently, there are nine cabins, all functional.

"The place is going to be completely upgraded, but you're not going to see any basic changes," said Rudd, who turned the largely vacant Eclipse Mill in North Adams into artists lofts and apartments and previously renovated the Beaver Street Mill in the city. "You're not going to see anything strange. There's a lot of opportunity, here but we don't want to overbuild."

As part of the partnership with Chung, the Irish pub will be run by Steve Wilkinson, executive chef at Jae's Inn in Williamstown.

"The idea will be an Irish pub, very rustic, so we can serve light breakfast, lunch and dinner and bring some locals in, too," Chung said. "I don't want this to be just a tourist place; I want to make sure locals can enjoy it, too."

Joining the press conference was a man who spent his early teenage years working for the motel's maintenance man in the 1960s ? state Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, D-North Adams.

Bosley quipped that he was particularly attracted to the idea of the Irish pub.

"I've always said there were two things we need in Berkshire County: a good New York-style deli, so you can get good pickle, and you need an Irish pub," Bosley said. "I was just in Boston, where there are more Irish pubs than Dublin, and we really need one here. I think it will fit with the rustic idea."

Picking up a bottle of St. George's English Ale from Chung's food display, he added, "I can't wait to come up here and have an Irish beer."

Bosley said the idea of selling condominiums was not only economically viable but also advantageous to the tourist trade in the county. He said it would give Florida a real-estate opportunity without having to tap into the traditional condominium market.

"If you look at what condos cost in the county, this is a real deal," he said. "You don't have to buy a second home and spend $400,000. You can spend $50,000 and have a place to come with such beautiful scenery."

Whitcomb Summit, just west of the famed Elk on the Trail, offers spectacular views of four states, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York.

Rudd said there partnership has already received eight offers for rooms and cabins but the sales won't be finalized for months. He said the first round of renovations will be done by spring 2008, funded by the initial sales.

"I didn't think we'd have any reservations, and we already have eight," he said. "But people also said I was crazy for what I did at the Eclipse Mill, and it sold out in two months."

Courtesy of The Berkshire Eagle

Motel to get $2.5M facelift

By Jessica Willis, Berkshire Eagle Staff Berkshire Eagle

Article Last Updated:07/26/2007 09:25:46 AM EOT

Whitcomb Summit Motel in the town of Florida has more than 90 years of

history. A new chapter will be written with a $2.5 million renovation of the property. Photo By: Ali McKee

FLORIDA — A historic tourist attraction on the Mohawk Trail (Route 2) is on its way to a new identity as a "condominium motel” first-of-its-kind resort for the Berkshires, according to one of the principals involved with the $2.5 million project.

Edward and Carol Drummond, the owners of the 93-year-old Whitcomb Summit Motel, Cabins and Cafe, one of the first motor lodges in the United States, announced yesterday that they have entered into a partnership with Jae Chung, owner of Jae's Restaurants and Inns, and Eric Rudd, a North Adams-based artist and real estate developer. The plans were unveiled yestenday at press conference at the site.

Rudd, who developed the Eclipse Mill artist lofts in North Adams, said the project is the first condominium motel in the Berkshires and it will "preserve and revitalize" Whitcomb Summit, which has been falling into a graceful disrepair as the generations go by.

"We want to make sure places like these don't deteriorate," he said. "It has been a challenge to find a creative solution, and we think we've found it."

The property will be known as Whitcomb Summit Resort, and Rudd said he expected the initial renovation phase to be completed next spring or summer.

Rudd emphasized that buying into the resort is "complete ownership," not a time share, and management will maintain and re units when the owners aren't using them. The income from the rentals will pay the owners' condominium fees — about $150; month — and if all goes according to plan, the units could turn a profit. "We think it's a win-win situation for everyone," he said.

Rooms and suites in the 18-unit motel — which feature, according to Florida resident Jana Brule, "the most beautiful sunrises you ever did see" — have a price tag of $44,995 for a 264-square-foot single room with a full bathroom. A 530-square-foot, two-re suite with a full bathroom and a private deck is $84,995.

Brule and her husband, Tom, who live five miles away from Whitcomb Summit, will be investing in a unit at the resort, and they plan on using it as an investment property or "as a nice getaway for friends," she said.

The charmingly ramshackle cottages — there are currently six dotting the 18.5-acre site, and about 15 more will be built — st $89,995.

The resort will be open year-round, and Carol Drummond said the four-season crowd "is a whole new market we're going after”

Rudd said the overhaul will maintain the property's original rough-hewn spirit, and the motel is a sound structure that has suff little wear and tear.

Similarly, dining at the resort will be getting a makeover, courtesy of Chung, one of the most celebrated restaurateurs in the county. Chung noted, however, that the fare will be low-key and attractive to locals, and will offer something unique to the area — British pub food.

"We don't want it to be a tourist place," he said of the new restaurant.

Accompanied by Steve Wilkinson, executive chef of Jae's Inn at The Clark in Williamstown, Chung added that the food would be reasonably priced, a light breakfast menu would be available, and the style would compliment the easygoing vibe.

"It will be simple food that has a flair to it," Wilkinson said.

State Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, also in attendance at the press conference, called Whitcomb Summit "one of the anchors of Florida”

As a youngster, he said, he worked "odd jobs" in Whitcomb Summit's kitchen, and it wasn't unusual to see the same clients again and again, year after year*

"One (guest) had his own coffee mug in the kitchen," Bosley recalled.

Rudd agreed that the property had a loyal following, and he told the group that room 13 in the motel — which affords a view of three states and 100 miles of rolling hills — is "already spoken for" by a woman who rents the room again and again.

Citing a study performed by the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, Rudd said tourists visit the Berkshires "to enjoy the country," and bucolic peace and quiet is an amenity Whitcomb Summit has in abundance.

"What a wonderful place to stay," Rudd said.

Donald Brown agreed. Watching the press conference from the doorway of the restaurant, the Ashland resident said he has been coming to Whitcomb Summit every year since 1976, and he worked in the gift shop when the Canedy family — the original owners of the property — were still in residence.

'This place used to rock and roll in the 70s," Brown marveled. "It was always busy."

He fondly recalled a parking lot jammed with cars and tour buses, and noted that "he'd love to see the place come back."

Brown added that the Drummonds had some great ideas for the future of Whitcomb Summit — the previous owners "tortured the property”, he said — and he looked forward to the day, hopefully coming soon, of bumper-to-bumper traffic on the scenic Mohawk Trail.

1914 — Charles R. Canedy purchases the 400 acre Whitcomb Farm and opens a small tourist shop in a six-by-nine-foot sh The shop has the first telephone in the town of Florida.

1920s — A two story structure is built on the property; the building is later destroyed in the 1938 hurricane.

1927 —Charles R. Canedy dies. His sons, Donald and Lewis, continue to share ownership and operate the Whitcomb Summit and the Golden Eagle Gift Shop on the Mohawk Trail's hairpin turn.

1958 — Donald Canedy and his wife, Florence, assume full ownership of Whitcomb Summit.

Early 1960s — The opening of the Massachusetts Turnpike in 1957 cut Whitcomb Summit's bustling Mohawk Trail traffic 'in half,' according to Canedy

1966 — Canedy builds an 18-unit motel on the property. Cottages and a 60-foot lookout tower follow.

1980 — In September, Lewis Canedy sell the Golden Eagle Gift Shop. One month later, Donald Canedy, 69, announces that Whitcomb Summit is on the market.

1981 — Dale Wheeler, 'a newly transplanted Californian,¹ plans to buy Whitcomb Summit and develop the 400-acre parcel in a time-share resort. The $11 million renovation project promises 108 time-share units, 250 campsites, and cross country ski trails. Wheeler denies allegations that the project includes a casino.

1982 — Contract negotiations with Wheeler fall through; Canedy puts the property back on the market in late March.

1983 — In June, the property is purchased by Patten Realty Co. of Stamford, Vt., for $325,000. In September, Ravi and Indira Bhakta, a brother and sister from Leominster, buy 15 acres of the property — including the motel, cottages, lookout tower, restaurant and gift shop from Patten Realty for $250,000.

1995 — George and Hilary Garivaltis purchase the property from the Bhaktas for $120,000.

2002 — Edward and Carol Drummond, a Las Vegas, Nev., couple who moved to the area in 2001, purchase the 15 acre property, plus an adjacent three-and-a-half-acre parcel, for $87,500.

July 2007 — Carol Drummond, a native of Panama, starts a Spanish language club in Whitcomb Summit's restaurant, with Eclipse Mill developer Eric Rudd and his wife Barbara. The trio discuss revitalization plans for Whitcomb Summit, and Rude invites restaurateur Jae Chung into the partnership. Rudd, the Drummonds and Chung announce plans to turn the property a condominium motel.

Jessica Willis can be reached atjwillis@berkshireeagle.com oral (413) 664-4995.

It's good to hear about a commercial proposal for the Mohawk Trail in Florida that doesn't involve nude dancing or windmills, and here's hoping Eric Rudd, Jae Chung and Ed and Carolina Drummond can make a success of the new resort proposed for Whitcomb Summit (Transcript story, July 26).

Despite the spectacular views and the summit's relative proximity to the bustling metropolis of North Adams, the motel and cabins there haven't fared well since the Canedy family gave up the business in 1980. The Drummonds made perhaps the best attempt in recent years, but their business was hurt when the state outlawed off-road vehicles from Savoy Mountain State Forest in 2005.

The historic Whitcomb Summit site, home of the first motor lodge in the United States (in 1914, shortly after the Mohawk Trail opened), has deserved better, and the past successes of Mr. Rudd and Mr. Chung and the investment they are willing to make could be just the impetus needed.

Selling motel rooms and rustic cabins as condominiums might seem strange, but many pooh-poohed Mr. Rudd's idea to build artist lofts and apartments in the Eclipse Mill in North Adams — all 40 units are occupied. Those familiar with local history will recall that a Pittsfield-based firm had wanted to build time-share units on the summit after buying the property from Donald Canedy. The deal fizzled in 1981 when the developers failed to find financing for the venture — perhaps an idea before its time.

We're with state Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, D-North Adams, in welcoming an Irish pub to the region. Mr. Chung, a Clarksburg
native, has established successful restaurants in Boston, Williamstown, North Adams and Adams — why not Florida? The
new restaurant should provide yet another choice for North Adams diners and for fans of the Golden Eagle restaurant at
the nearby Hairpin Turn in Clarksburg. •

As North Adams has proved over the past several years, competition can be a good thing for the restaurant business. And Florida hasn't had a restaurant since Giovanni's on Route 2 went out of business long, long ago. (We don't count the former Smurf s, at the site of the current Dobbert's Recycling, which had only offered hot dogs and potato chips, along with the smallest miniature golf course known to mankind).

So good luck to the Whitcomb Summit Resort. May it put the town of Florida back on the North Berkshire map and make more travelers aware of the myriad treasures along our fabled trail.

The Whitcomb Summit Motel, Summit and Cafe is an historic throwback to the glory days of the Mohawk Trail, but it has begun to show its 93 years. The plan to turn it into a "condominium motel" by North Adams artist and Realtor Eric Rudd, restaurant owner Jae Chung and current owners Edward and Carol Drummond has the potential to bring it fully into the 21st century. Mr. Rudd and Mr. Chung appear determined to maintain the rustic charm of what will be known as Whitcomb Summit Resort, while providing the amenities vacationers and second-home owners expect. Mr. Chung's plans for a low-key pub style restaurant could make it a designation for locals, as it has been off and on through the decades. The Whitcomb Summit has a rich history in a jaw-dropping location, and ideally this project will enable it to thrive for another century.