Harlan Crow Continues Legacy of Exclusivity at Camp Topridge in New York’s Adirondacks

In the 1990s, the makers of Pace Picante Sauce came up with a brilliant advertising campaign. Cowboys sitting around a campfire asked Cookie for more picante sauce. Having run out of Pace Picante Sauce, Cookie hands them a jar of sauce made in New York City. The cowboys get upset and threaten to hang ol’ Cookie. 

How could anything from New York be better than something made in the Lone Star State? Or, why would anyone from Texas have anything to do with New York? Now, New York does have positive points, just ask native Texan and real estate developer Harlan Crow.

Crow and his private Adirondack resort, Camp Topridge, have been the subject of several news stories recently after revelations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginni, failed to disclose that they have vacationed at the resort as Crow’s guests. You see, Camp Topridge is a private resort and the only way to enjoy Camp Topridge is if you can get an invitation from Crow himself.

Like most people, I had not heard of Camp Topridge until the ProPublica story detailing the luxurious trips Thomas enjoyed at Crow’s expense. So how about we learn a little bit more about this exclusive second home.

Camp Topridge Started with Cereal, Not Salsa

Camp Topridge, located on Upper St. Regis Lake is one of the Adirondack Great Camps. Created by local builder Benjamin A. Muncil and other early 19th-century architects, the style known as Adirondack Rustic allowed families such as the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers to enjoy these lavish camps along the most beautiful and remote shorelines of the Adirondacks.

With numerous owners and a different name, Lothrop Camp, it was not until Marjorie Merriweather Post bought the camp in 1920 that it began to take shape. She started with renovations to the main lodge and the boathouse. Post was the daughter of C.W. Post and founder of General Foods. It was under her guidance that additional cabins were built and the total acreage of the camp grew to 207 acres.

In the same year, Post changed the name of the camp to Camp Hutridge in honor of her second husband, financier E.F. Hutton. In 1938, Post changed the name of the camp again to Camp Topridge to honor her third husband, Joseph E. Davies. It is amazing all the changes that can be made when you have Bran Flakes money.

Access to Topridge Has Always Been Exclusive

Physical access to the property was also difficult. To reach the main lodge and the other cabins, Post would use her private yacht or have their float-plane pull up to her private dock. In order to reach the top of the ridge, guests would then have to take a cable railway to the Main Building. Years later, a very narrow drive was built to reach the camp.

From numerous descriptions, it was worth the effort to reach Camp Topridge. Each guest cabin was private and came with its own butler. A total of 68 structures were included in the resort. During its time, Camp Topridge was considered one of the largest and most elaborately decorated camps in the Adirondacks. Many of the original furnishings, including a large collection of Native American artifacts, were donated to the Smithsonian Institution. 

Post bequeathed Camp Topridge to the State of New York after her death. With the exception of 105 acres, the remaining acreage became part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. The main lodge as well as the other cabins were used as a retreat for the governor of New York. Unlike Post, the state did not have access to Grape-Nuts cereal money to maintain the property so it was sold.

Harlan Crow Continues Legacy of Camp Topridge

Crow was able to purchase Camp Topridge in 1994 when it fell into foreclosure. Crow, who, like Post, inherited his father’s company, has added five new structures to the property to replace ones that were taken down. A gorgeous new entry was done for the main lodge as well as other structures getting some much-needed updates. 

Much the same as when Post owned Camp Topridge, access to Camp Topridge is still by invitation only and for the power elites.

According to the April 6, 2023, ProPublica story:

“The mountainous area draws billionaires from across the globe. Rooms at a nearby hotel built by the Rockefellers start at $2250 a night. Crow’s invitation-only resort is even more exclusive. Guests stay for free, enjoying Topridge’s more than 25 fireplaces, three boathouses, clay tennis court and batting cage, along with more eccentric features: a lifesize replica of the Harry Potter character Hagrid’s hut, bronze statues of gnomes and a 1950s-style soda fountain where Crow’s staff fixes milkshakes.”

And I am willing to bet that if a guest wants salsa to go with their huevos rancheros, the brand they use will be Pace because it is from Texas.