Packard Manor

A landmark house brought back to full use.

Packard Manor was built in 1915 by William Packard, co-founder of Packard Motor Cars, and his wife Katherine. It was designed by Warren and Wetmore, the New York firm behind Grand Central Terminal, in the Jacobean revival style, an English country look. The mansion sits on the lake at Chautauqua Institution, on more than 1.2 acres with 180 feet of lake frontage, and all of its major rooms look out to the lake and the grounds.

The owner wanted to save the house: bring back its original grandeur and give it the comforts of a modern home. The project was a complete renovation with all new systems, new interior finishes, and new landscaping, and it went from design to move in within twelve months.

The additions are a kitchen, a breakfast room, a dining room, staff quarters, an indoor spa with a custom glass mosaic, an outdoor kitchen, a terrace, and a garage. They were designed to look like part of the original house. The ornate plaster, stone, and wood details were restored, and new details were made to match.

Outside, an iron gate and a fountain bring back a formal approach to the house, and a new grand staircase runs down the terraced lawn to the lake.

Walking through it today feels like walking through an English country estate, with little sign of the modern features that were added to it.

Local contractor G.L. Olson built the project. Structural engineering was by Siracuse Engineers of Buffalo and mechanical engineering by Basik Karinski of Jamestown. The project received the AIA Buffalo/WNY First Award for residential design.