Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, located in beautiful Whitefield, New Hampshire, has been known for its distinctive White Mountains character and charm since 1865. Whitefield's picturesque, old-time New Hampshire village with bandstand and skating rink, along with the outlying area's wooded hills, working farms, ponds, and stunning views of the White Mountains, continue to enchant visitors just as they did more than a century ago. Guests can still enjoy live performances during the summer at the renowned Weathervane Theater, as well as year-round activities including fishing and boating on Mirror Lake, swimming at nearby Forest Lake, biking, hiking, skiing at Cannon Mountain, and shopping in nearby North Conway or Littleton, New Hampshire, and much more.
Mountain View Grand is less than a half hour from the famed Franconia Notch. The resort features:
1,700 Wooded Acres in the White Mountains Region of New Hampshire
History of Mountain View Grand
On a rainy night in 1865, a stagecoach en route from Boston to Montreal hit a large mud hole and overturned on a back road in the small township of Whitefield, N.H. Two passengers climbed out and were told by the driver to follow the dirt road a half-mile until they reached a farmhouse. Despite the late hour, the travelers were welcomed at the home of William and Mary Jane Dodge, thus beginning a long tradition of Mountain View hospitality.
They awoke early the next morning to the smell of a home-cooked breakfast. After their meal, they wandered out onto the porch where they were quickly captivated by the breathtaking views of the Presidential Mountain Range, a glorious series of 4,000-foot peaks in the White Mountains.
Impressed by the hospitality of the Dodges and the beautiful surroundings, the guests insisted their hosts permit them to stay a few days longer. The following summer the accidental guests returned for a sojourn of several weeks, inspiring the Dodges to add the first of many additions to come and to begin a small boarding establishment they called the Mountain View House.
The architectural growth of the Mountain View House began in 1866, when the Dodges opened what was initially a modest country inn. Over the years, several additions were made, the most striking of which was the two-story piazza displaying Greek Revival details, set under the front roof overhang and supported by square Doric columns. By the summer of 1884, the Mountain View House could accommodate over 100 guests. During the months between 1911 and 1912, construction continued and the Mountain View House soon joined the prestigious ranks of those elite White Mountains hostelries with space for over 200 guests.
As its reputation spread, so did the demand for rooms. The Dodge family met the challenge well and passed on the management responsibility to yet another generation of aspiring Dodges. Frank Schuyler Sr. ran the hotel operations until his untimely death in 1941, at which time his wife took over the management until brothers Frank Schuyler Jr. and John Bowden Dodge were able to handle the responsibility. During their tenure, Century Hall was built as a highly functional entertainment and conference center. Finally, in 1979, faced with a changing tourist market, automobile fuel shortages and financial instability, the descendants of William Dodge sold the Mountain View House, thus ending the reign of one of the finest grand hotels in the history of the United States and the oldest resort to be owned and operated continuously by the same family living on the same property.
The last functioning years of the Mountain View House were fraught with stress and uncertainty. In 1986, after several summers producing marginal financial returns, the hotel closed its doors. In 1989, all of the contents of the hotel were put up for auction. The Mountain View House was purchased in 1998, by a young entrepreneur, who worked diligently to recreate the splendor of the golden days of the grand resort hotels in the White Mountains. The new Mountain View Grand proudly reopened its doors in May 2002, after completion of a $20 million historic restoration. Since reopening, the resort has made many other history-sensitive renovations and improvements.
Mountain View Grand Historic Timeline Summer 1865
The Dodge Family welcomes its first "unexpected" visitors into its home - passengers on a Montreal-bound stagecoach caught in a storm - starting a longtime tradition of hospitality.
Summer 1866
The Dodge Family officially opens its home as a modest country inn to summer sojourners. The first addition to the east end of the original Dodge home is made.
1872
After success hosting summer travelers for several seasons, the Dodge Family builds a new three-story building, which replaces the farmhouse and raises capacity to fifty guests.
1880
Another addition to the west side doubles the size of the Mountain View House.
1884-1919
Van Herbert Dodge and his wife, Alice, oversee management of the Mountain View House. During their tenure, the hotel expands from a medium-sized country inn to a substantial resort complex. Each room in the added wings and expansions is arranged to command a fine view of the mountains surrounding the resort.
1900
A nine-hole golf course is completed and opened for play.
1901
The Dodges install steam heat.
1905
The Dodges install electric lighting.
1911-1912
The tower, conceived in the late Italian Revival style, provides a focal point for the vast, rambling resort that can be seen from miles away.
1919-1948
Frank Schuyler Dodge takes charge of the Mountain View House, catapulting the resort to world-class status.
1921-1922
Frank adds an L-shaped addition to the West Wing in the Colonial Revival architecture compatible to the main structure.
1927-1928
Expansion of the East Wing includes a fourth floor and a new wing, featuring bay windows (now the sunroom) and a porte cochere for automobiles.
1939
Mr. Dodge erects the sports clubhouse.
1946
An outdoor swimming pool is built adjacent to the sports clubhouse.
1948
Frank Schuyler Dodge Jr. becomes operating manager with his brother, John B. Dodge.
1965
The Dodges build Century Hall, a modern and highly functional entertainment hall.
1967
F. Schuyler Dodge Jr. takes over sole management of the property.
1979
The Dodge Family sells the Mountain View House due to changing tourism trends, financial instability and automobile fuel shortages. Mountain View Associates buys the resort and its accompanying acreage.
1986
After several summer seasons that produced moderate financial returns, the hotel closes its doors and puts the contents up for public auction. (By this time, the hotel had shifted hands with several owners in quick succession.)
March 1990
Charles Carroll purchases the Mountain View House in a foreclosure auction. It remains dormant for the next several years.
December 1998
A businessman from Massachusetts, Kevin Craffey, sees the hotel while searching for a vacation home for his family and purchases the hotel for approximately $1.3 million.
June 1999
The Mountain View Golf Course reopens with a beautifully appointed and renovated clubhouse, a revitalized golf course, heated pool, tennis courts, lawn games, and a spectacular wine cellar.
September 2000
The new owner acquires $2 million worth of Community Development Finance Authority Tax Credits, sold within days of the deadline.
February 2001
With financing secured for the Mountain View Renovation project, interior demolition begins on the hotel.
April 2001
Exterior construction, landscaping and painting gets underway.
May 2002
Mountain View Grand opens its doors on May 22, 2002, and celebrates with a Grand Reopening.
2005
Mountain View Grand is purchased by Great American Insurance Group and joins a unique collection of historic hotels, including The Biltmore in Coral Gables, Florida, Le Pavillon, in New Orleans, Louisiana, The Cincinnatian in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina in Charleston, South Carolina.
September 2009
Mountain View installs a 121-foot wind turbine behind the hotel. The EPA certifies the resort as 100% wind-powered.
