Boathouse at Rosslyn

From the outset it was Rosslyn's boathouse that seduced us more than anything else. As a boy I'd often spied this peninsular folly with wonder. Decades later it still beckoned. I honestly believe it's one of the most architecturally charming utility buildings in the Champlain Valley!

Technically a “dock house” built atop a pier that protrudes out into Lake Champlain, this Eastlake inspired structure was originally conceived and constructed as a seasonal residence for the engineer/captain of the Kestrel steam yacht. It is the only surviving example of residential Essex boathouses. In fact, it’s one of only a few historic examples on Lake Champlain. (Note: there are two commercial, non-residential examples in Essex: the Old Dock Restaurant and the Essex Marina.)

In 2006 when we finally purchased the property, Rosslyn’s boathouse — a pleasure-promising peninsula from our perspective — mesmerized Susan and me with her beguiling siren song… What if we abandoned all sensibility and dove into this fantasy? What if we made this fascinating property our new home?!

The following posts provide a scrapbook vision of Rosslyn’s boathouse during our monumental historic rehabilitation and across more than a century of nonstop use.