Archive Record
Metadata
Title |
Quisisana |
Accession # |
1974.02.0873 |
Description |
Collection of information about Quisisana on Kezar Lake. Located in the file category "Businesses". Taken from the Summer 2012 Newsletter, written by Catherine Stone: Quisisana was built by Kate A. Strauss (1867-1924), a wealthy dilettante from New York City whose husband Samuel (1858-1925) manufactured corsets. She purchased a parcel of eastern shoreline on Kezar Lake in 1907 with the intent to build a refuge for her friends in the music world. She borrowed the name Quisisana from a resort hotel on the Isle of Capri which translated means "a place where one heals oneself'." After purchasing the 8 acres of land from Edwin Meserve, Kate constructed a main house and a boathouse. The town's 1908 tax book valued the buildings at $1,500 and she was also taxed for a musical instrument (most likely a grand piano) valued at $250. By 1909 she had managed to accumulate seven boats for her guests' use. An advertisement in "The Musician" dated May 1915 has been handed down over the years and reveals the nature of the place. The ad was for a master piano course to be taught from July 1 to September 15, 1915 at Camp Quisisana on Lake Kezar. What's most interesting about this advertisement is the teacher of the course-Mark Hambourg. Mark Hambourg was a distinguished Russian-British concert pianist, among the most famous of his age. To have him teaching a master piano course in Center Lovell was monumental. Just as interesting, Mr. Hambourg had planned to return to Europe that May, voyaging on the RMS Lusitania. Had he not changed his plans and agreed to teach at Camp Quisisana, he would have been among those that perished when the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat. In 1917 Kate expanded her accommodations, adding three cottages and another musical instrument (i.e. grand piano). She had a garage built in 1918, a Music Hall in 1920, another cottage in 1922, and both a cottage and a Dining House & Kitchen in 1924. Further expansion ended with her death in 1924. Her husband's death followed shortly thereafter and their son, Spencer, sold the property. Fortunately, he found a buyer who wished to continue the hotel as a haven for musicians and music lovers. Harriet Schreyer (1882-1978) purchased the property in 1927. Harriet was a violinist and her sister Paula (Schreyer) Revesz (1881-1968) was a lieder singer. They had owned and recently sold the New York College of Music and had helped run neighboring Sunset Inn the summer before. The two of them, along with sister Annette (Schreyer) Stumpf (1885-1983), ran Quisisana from 1927 until after the war in 1946. In 1946, Etta's aunt sold Quisisana to Ralph (1914-2011) and Fay (1915-2010) Burg . Ralph was a Boston music-store owner who played the saxophone with society orchestras. According to his wife, he came home one day and informed her he had just bought a summer resort: "You'll manage the kitchen, and I'll take care of the rest." Fortunately, Fay had studied Hotel and Restaurant Management at Boston University. During their thirty-year ownership, Quisisana developed into today's musical resort, with the current format of musical staff and nightly shows. The Burg's purchased neighboring Sunset Inn in 1967, greatly expanding the hotel's facilities to 56 acres and 40 cabins, with a guest capacity of 130. They also continued the tradition of entertaining famous guests, most notably Vladimir Horowitz. He stayed for three weeks during the summer of 1962, practicing daily in his cottage on a Steinway piano shipped from Boston. After thirty years, the Burgs sold Quisisana to Leonard Haskett and Elliot Hyman in 1976. Reportedly, the high standards the Burgs set began to slip. Jane Orans had been coming as a guest since 1971, and in fear that Quisisana would close forever, she purchased the resort in 1984. Since then, the music program has expanded, the facilities have steadily improved, and the staff continues to be recruited from some of the nation's most prestigious music schools. Quisisana's one-hundred year old tradition of being a haven for music lovers continues. |
People |
Burg, Fay (1916-2010) Burg, Ralph (1914-2011) Hambourg, Mark (1879-1960) Haskett, Leonard Heim, Gustav Frederick (1879-1933) Hyman, Elliot Meserve, Edwin (1834-1916) Orans, Jane (Miller) (1935-2020) Revesz, Paula (Schreyer) (1881-1968) Revesz-Weeks, Etta Schreyer, Harriet (1882-1978) Strauss, Katherine A. (1867-1925) Strauss, Samuel (1858-1925) Strauss, Spencer Stumpf, Annette (Schreyer) (1885-1983) |
Subjects |
Business enterprises |
Search Terms |
"Yesterday's News" Quisisana |
Object Name |
File, Document |