Winter Olympic Architecture
The defining structures and architecture constructed for winter sports in Lake Placid catapulted the Adirondacks onto the world stage. The bobsled-run for the 1932 Olympic Winter Games was the first ever built in the United States and was the most challenging to athletes from across the globe. The current ski jumps—the Intervale—were constructed for the 1980 games and featured state-of-the-art refrigerated surfaces, and could be adjusted for the wind. Adirondack architect William G. Distin designed the original 1932 Olympic Arena, allowing skating, hockey and curling to occur indoors in the United States for the first time. Even the Herb Brooks Sports Arena—best known for the “Miracle on Ice” victory in 1980—was designed by a premier sports architecture firm who brought modern sensibility to the little village. Learn about the significance of these sports monuments on insider tours of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum (LPOM), both Olympic arenas, the iconic ski jumps and historic bobsled run.
On this outing, learn about the significance of these sports monuments on insider tours of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum (LPOM), both Olympic arenas, the iconic ski jumps and historic bobsled run.
This tour is led by LPOM Director Alison Haas and staff from the architecture and planning department of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA).
The tour begins at 10 a.m. and ends around 3:30 p.m.
FEE: $50 for members and $60 for non-members.