Camp Iroquois in Saranac Lake and pristine Bloomingdale compound offer opportunities to own Adirondack properties, with prices starting at $2.3M
Photo by Jordan Craig, courtesy of Platinum Luxury Auctions
Two sprawling, multimillion-dollar Adirondack estates are set to go to auction this fall.
The first, Camp Iroquois in Saranac Lake, is a historic 4,000-square-foot Great Camp nestled on 8.6 secluded, wooded acres. Built in 1906 by John Tod, a coal and iron dealer and son of David Tod, who served as Ohio’s governor during the Civil War, the estate is a classic example of a Great Adirondack Camp: a grand summer retreat for wealthy industrialists during the Gilded Age, designed with rustic architecture that blends seamlessly into the Adirondack landscape.
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Photo by Jordan Craig, courtesy of Platinum Luxury Auctions
The property passed to Tod’s daughter, Edith, who was married to James Sheffield, and remained in the Sheffield family until Kevin and Betty Ann Keane purchased it in the early 1980s. It later sold at auction in 2020 for $2.4 million.
Currently listed for $4.25 million, the waterfront estate includes 13 structures, such as a rustic dining hall and six sleeping cabins. Amenities also feature a Har-Tru tennis and pickleball court, a four-car garage, gardens and a camp workshop.
Photo by Jordan Craig, courtesy of Platinum Luxury Auctions
“It’s also extremely convenient to the heart of Saranac Lake and all of its amenities and features a boathouse directly on the lake,” adds Trayor Lesnock, president of Platinum Luxury Auctions, the Miami-based company organizing and hosting the auction, via email.
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The second property, located in the hamlet of Bloomingdale in the town of St. Armand, Essex County, has never before been offered for sale. About 25 minutes from Lake Placid, the estate spans 295 acres across three contiguous, subdividable parcels. There are two lakes, a brook that meanders through the property, miles of hiking trails and panoramic views of Whiteface and Esther mountains. “Put simply, we have not encountered a property in all of our experience in upstate NY that is such a pristine example of the beautiful, natural lands in the Adirondacks region,” says Lesnock.
Photo by Jordan Craig, courtesy of Platinum Luxury Auctions
of Whiteface and Esther mountains. Photo by Jordan Craig, Courtesy of Platinum Luxury Auctions
The property includes three rustic residences: a 1,700-square-foot main home built in 1838, a 1,266-square-foot guest cabin added in 1955 and a 672-square-foot log cottage constructed in 2019, along with a garage, workshop, woodshed and whole-home generator. Given the high-end nature of the property, the sellers have chosen a luxury auction as the sales method, which Lesnock describes as a faster, more transparent alternative to traditional sales. The Saranac Lake property is being auctioned on Sept. 23 without reserve, meaning it will sell to the highest bidder, regardless of price. Previously listed for $5.25 million, the Bloomingdale compound will be auctioned at or above $2.3 million on Oct. 9.
“The process creates efficiency for a transaction that is often highly inefficient,” he explains.
Sellers benefit from competitive bidding, which can drive higher prices, as well as a fixed timeline that avoids drawn-out negotiations. Buyers gain a clear view of market value and the opportunity to secure unique properties quickly, making luxury transactions both faster and more predictable.
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Photo at top: Sunset at Camp Iroquois in Saranac Lake. Photo by Jordan Craig, courtesy of Platinum Luxury Auctions
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