A Tour of Bay View

William Demuth, a wealthy resident of New York City who previously owned a cottage on the Fort William Henry Hotel grounds, purchased the property in 1893 from the Bement family. Demuth was an avid fisherman and housed his steam yacht "The Geneva" (pictured here) in front of Bay View in Bolton Bay. There are still deep channels in the bay that were dredged to accommodate these ships. The property's original boathouse was three stories and featured a two-story wrap around porch.

On the southern end of the property there was a launch for the yachts, though this same site would be later become the foundation for The Sembrich Studio. Demuth sold several small parcels on the southern edge of the estate. Following his passing John Warden purchased Bay View and the remaining 56.25 acres from the Demuth estate for a total of $50,000.

Bay View, originally in the Italianate style, was updated to reflect the popular Spanish Eclectic style. White wooden siding was replaced with pink stucco and green roof shingles exchanged for orange terracotta. Bannisters were removed from the roofline and the Tuscan entrance tower became an open-sided porch that overlooked Bolton Bay.

The front porch columns were enclosed with large open arches. A circular porch (to the left of the tower entrance) was added where a bay-window once jutted into the lawn. The original terrace steps were moved shortly after this photo was taken.

The terrace steps were relocated to the southern end of the terrace and and a new path led from the tower stairs to The Sembrich Studio. Additionally, in the exterior renovation, the dormer style windows on the top of the third floor were widened to include two smaller decorative windows surrounding the larger window. Interestingly, the decorative brackets, characteristic of the original Italianate style, were not removed in the renovation.

Sembrich had arched trellises installed surrounding windows and entrance ways. Vines were planted at the base of the porch columns and in pots on the porch beneath the trellises, covering the front porch and northern wall in creeping vines each summer.

The porch arches and the northern door (pictured left beneath the arched trellis) show an identical style to The Sembrich Studio's "Bay Room" window and enclosed porch entryway. The pink stucco siding adorned not only Bay View but The Sembrich studio and the nearby Pine Hill, the home of Juliette de Coppet Stengel.

Despite being quaintly tucked in Bolton Bay, Bay View commanded one of the most picturesque views of Lake George. The front porch offered views of several islands including Clay, Recluse and Dome.

This picture of the back of Bay View shows a second widened dormer and an additional enclosed porch (concealed from the lake by trees) on the southern elevation of the house. The French doors on each entrance way also matched those found in The Sembrich Studio.

The back of the house also boasted a small dining porch that overlooked the back yard and drive. The porch and its bannister can be seen on the right, surrounded by an arched trellis and partially obstructed by the Norwegian spruce.

The covered entrance at the middle of the house served as the main entrance for visitors arriving by car or on foot. While the exterior of the home was thoroughly impressive, the interior was just as, if not more, beautifully designed.

This photo was taken from the parlor entrance on the porch facing the lake. In addition to the custom molding, the main parlor boasted an ornate stairwell, lined with custom woodwork and small arched windows at each landing. A formal sitting room adjoined the parlor and had its own entrance to porch on the north wall.

Fun Fact: A number of objects and artworks shown in these photos still remain in The Sembrich Collection (but we'll explore those more in future exhibits).

Both the formal sitting room and main parlor contained ornate fireplaces. The parlor would host elegant parties given by Madame Sembrich following performances in her teaching studio located just south of the main house. Music continued in the main parlor, which contained a grand piano. Beside the piano is a doorway to the entrance tower (left) and one of two larger openings to the dining room (right) on either side of the fireplace.

The ornate floors were decorated by several oriental rugs, some of which are meticulously preserved in The Sembrich Collection. The formal sitting room offered some of the best views of Lake George from the first floor interior.

The rear entrance opening to the back drive is seen here beside the stairwell. Two doorways (seen to the left of the rear entrance) opened into the dining and storage areas. The first doorway opened to a small room with cupboards and coatracks. The closer doorway opened into the formal dining room.

While each room featured fireplaces, Bay View had two coal burning furnaces in the basement, one for heat and one for domestic hot water. The basement also included a servants' quarters, laundry facility, and a bathroom.

The formal dining room featured the same custom molding as the parlor and had open porches on the eastern and western walls. The rear dining porch which overlooked the drive and back yard can been seen clearly in this image. Built in cabinets with glass doors were a prominent feature in the dining room.

Through the wooden door, visitors would enter the kitchen, servants' dining room, and pantry. This was also the way to access the covered porch on the southern end of the house. An additional stairwell connected the second floor servants' quarters, the kitchen/service areas, and the basement.

The partial doorway seen in the extreme right of this photo opened onto the circular porch that adjoined the main covered porch. This doorway was previously the location of the large bay window mentioned earlier in the exhibit. The solid wood door on the same wall opened into the entrance tower.

The second floor of the house featured five large bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library, a dressing room, and two maids' rooms with an additional shared bathroom. The third floor contained two additional maids' rooms and two bathrooms. The entrance to the tower porch could be accessed from either the second or third floors.

The second floor library was situated in the northwest corner and overlooked the northern lawns and the rear drive. A trellis ran between the windows and large flowering vines can be seen through the glass. This trellis can be seen in the exterior photos shown previously.

This bedroom, located in the northwestern corner of the house, also overlooked the northern lawns. The window pictured next to the vanity looked out over Bolton Bay and shared the same spectacular views as the large front porch. The bathroom door in this room had an inlaid full-length mirror. The bathroom itself contained a claw-foot tub and tile floors.

This room, located in the southeastern corner of the main house, looked over the circular porch and adjoined the tower. This photo is taken from the second floor of the tower alcove. It is not clear whether there was a second floor entrance to the tower porch. If it existed, it would be within this room.

The bathroom shown here can be seen in lake view photos and featured a small circular window with a star. Three of the five bedrooms on the second floor had private baths.

This concludes the interior tour of Bay View. The images shown were taken by Thatcher for Juliette de Coppet Stengel for the purpose of listing the property for sale.

During the 1930s and 1940s many of the large estates, including Sembrich's were sold off in small portions over time. Bay View and the surrounding 9 acres of shorefront property (excluding the 4.25 which now house The Sembrich) were sold in 1937 for $30,000. Bay View was torn down and a new house built in its place. Other parcels of the estate were sold separately over the coming years.