Island House Estate · Est. 1886
A History of Legacy & Place
Island House Estate · Est. 1886
A History of Legacy & Place
Adirondack Park
"One of the Adirondack Park's last great family compounds — a 212-acre waterfront legacy on the pristine west shore of Brant Lake, spanning island and mainland holdings with 3/4 mile of unspoiled private shoreline."
- Brant LAKE · Warren County · ADIRONDACK PARK · New York
A Gilded Age Origin
The estate’s roots trace back to the 1870s, when Walter H. Wickes purchased the island group that would carry his family’s name, acquired from Joel Barton, one of Horicon’s original settlers for $75.
His nephew, William H. Wickes — industrialist, patent holder, and a driving force behind refrigerator car technology — elevated the property into the centerpiece of a far-reaching empire. Though his business interests spanned New York, Rochester, and Chicago, William spent up to three months each summer at Brant Lake, hosting guests and immersing himself in the hunting, fishing, and winter skating that defined Adirondack life among high society.
The Island House, completed in 1886 by respected local contractor S.A. Ormsby, stands as the architectural heart of it all — a stately white residence wrapped in porches, crowned by a tower, and finished with the polished sensibility of an age when America’s wealthiest brought refinement deep into the Adirondack mountains.
- Gilded Age 1886
A Century of Stewardship
Following the Wickes era, the property passed through prominent hands — including Albany cigar manufacturer George VanSlyke, who christened it “Seven Pines” during Brant Lake’s rise as one of New York’s most fashionable summer destinations. It is rumored that President Theodore Roosevelt was a guest at Brant Lake.
The estate’s modern chapter began in 1942, when the Schultz family acquired Island House. For nearly a century since, one family has preserved and expanded this extraordinary retreat, welcoming distinguished guests and maintaining traditions of gathering, recreation, and quiet lakeside contemplation that have defined the property from its earliest days.
In the 1970s, the family extended the estate’s reach with the acquisition of 180 additional acres across Palisades Road — a former girls’ camp property now accessible from both Palisades Road and Gibbons Road, encompassing expansive equestrian trails and woodland.
- Schultz Era 1942
Architecture That Honors the Past
A hybrid truss and timber-framed great room opens to panoramic lake views through a masterful “slow reveal” sequence: visitors approach through a deliberately understated entry, glimpsing only fragments of water and sky, before stepping into the soaring great room where the full expanse of Brant Lake unfolds in a single, breathtaking moment.
Today, the Island House Estate comprises a total of 20 bedrooms between the truss and timber-framed Main House, historic 1886 Island House , a Lakeside House, a Caretaker’s House, two garages with apartments, equestrian facilities with barns, acres of riding trails, and a Har-Tru tennis court.
- Hybrid Truss and Timber Frame House
Ownership Timeline
From the 1870s to the Present
Acquires the island group from Joel Barton, an original settler in Horicon, for $75 — establishing the foundation for a legendary Gilded Age retreat on Brant Lake.
Grand white porched residence with tower addition built by noted local contractor S.A. Ormsby for industrialist William H. Wickes.
William H. Wickes, millionaire patent holder and refrigerator car pioneer, dies unexpectedly in Detroit — closing the estate's founding chapter.
Albany cigar manufacturer acquires and renames the property during Brant Lake's emergence as a fashionable New York summer destination. President Theodore Roosevelt rumored to have visited.
Acquires Island House Estate, beginning nearly a century of continuous family stewardship, preservation, and distinguished hospitality.
Former girls' camp property across Palisades Road adds equestrian trails and woodland, with access from Palisades and Gibbons Roads.
5,414 sq ft residence designed by Balzer & Tuck of Saratoga Springs, built by Bonacio Construction. Cedar clapboard and locally quarried granite honors the estate's legacy aesthetic.
- Gilded Age
Acquires the island group from Joel Barton, an original settler in Horicon, for $75 — establishing the foundation for a legendary Gilded Age retreat on Brant Lake.
Grand white porched residence with tower addition built by noted local contractor S.A. Ormsby for industrialist William H. Wickes.
William H. Wickes, millionaire patent holder and refrigerator car pioneer, dies unexpectedly in Detroit — closing the estate's founding chapter.
- Transition
Albany cigar manufacturer acquires and renames the property during Brant Lake's emergence as a fashionable New York summer destination. President Theodore Roosevelt rumored to have visited.
- Schultz Family Era
Acquires Island House Estate, beginning nearly a century of continuous family stewardship, preservation, and distinguished hospitality.
Former girls' camp property across Palisades Road adds equestrian trails and woodland, with access from Palisades and Gibbons Roads.
5,414 sq ft residence designed by Balzer & Tuck of Saratoga Springs, built by Bonacio Construction. Cedar clapboard and locally quarried granite honors the estate's legacy aesthetic.
- Gilded Age
1870s
Gilded Age
1886
Gilded Age
1892
Gilded Age
- Transition
c. 1900s
Transition
- Schultz Family Era
1942
Schultz Era
1970s
Schultz Era
2007
Schultz Era
Today
Schultz Era
At a Glance
Estate at a Glance
Total Acreage
212 Acres
Encompassing mainland and island property
Shoreline
3⁄4 Mile
The Lake
Brant Lake
Four season recreation
Historic Residence
Island House
Built 1886 · Gilded Age Centerpiece
Modern Main House
5,414 sq ft
Balzer & Tuck · Truss & Timber Framed · 2007
Lakeside House
Six Bedrooms
At water’s edge
Equestrian Trails
4 Stall Barn
With jumping arena and riding trails
Tennis
Har-Tru Court
Additional
Guest House and Outbuildings.
Erin Steinbach
Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
Availability
Private showings by appointment