CELORON, N.Y. — Celoron Park once stood at the southern end of Chautauqua Lake. The footprint is all that remains of the famous amusement park, but people still gather there for warm weather fun.
In its place is the new Harbor Hotel with 135 rooms and suites, some with balconies and many with lake views. Brand new from the ground up, the hotel was designed by Norbert Hausner of Rochester, N.Y.-based NH Architecture. The decor is a fresh take on lake life with large photos of boats and ropes, shiplap and stone along with memories of the old park.
“The site had been vacant for 50 years,” said David Hart, president of Hart Hotels of Buffalo N.Y., the family owned company that built the hotel. “The grand concourse of the hotel is filled with framed photography of the amusement park in its heyday.”
Photos of the Ferris wheel and the Greyhound roller coaster line the walls leading to the Pier Ballroom, named for another part of the amusement park.
Chuck Telford of Jamestown, N.Y., was enjoying a stroll down memory lane with friends on a recent weekend at the hotel.
“When I was a kid, my grandfather took me on the Phoenix Wheel just before they were getting ready to take it down,” he recalled. “That Ferris wheel ended up in Chicago.”
Mr. Telford described a wooden roller coaster that ran alongside the lake.
“It looked like you were going to go right into the lake before it made a sharp U-turn. I rode it, and I have never been on another roller coaster since,” he confessed, laughing.
Mr. Hart said the lakefront site offered unique opportunities.
“We worked methodically to position the property to have the best views of nightly sunsets over Chautauqua Lake. We also set the hotel back from the shoreline the proper distance to enable a 12,000-square-foot patio, outdoor pool, putting green, three fire pits and the Carousel Bar.”
The bar sits on a platform that once held the flying airplane swing ride. “The Carousel Bar pays tribute to the grand carousels that once drew thousands of visitors to this site,” said Mr. Hart.
While there are no rides to entertain hotel guests, they can enjoy many other water activities. “We rent bikes, kayaks, paddle boards and even pontoon boats for guests,” said hotel concierge Toni Bellitto.
A two-night weekend stay for two adults starts at $339 for a village view, $409 for a lake view at www.thechautauquaharborhotel.com or 716-489-2800.
The hotel offers fishing, golf, wine and biking packages throughout the year and also parking tickets for the nearby Chautauqua Institution.
“Hotel guests get a 10 percent discount on tickets to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, and I say it is a must-see,” Ms. Bellitto said. “It’s great for a rainy day, but I tell guests give yourself at least three hours. It is terrific.”
Since the hotel opened Aug. 30, 2018, this is its first summer in business. Recently new boat docks were installed so boaters can pull up and enjoy dinner or drinks. The Carousel Bar offers casual fare such as pizza.
“We get a lot of people coming in that way for dinner at the Lakeside Tap & Grille,” Ms. Belitto noted.
A minor inconvenience is that the bars, outdoor pool and workout room all close at 10 p.m. So if you want a later nightcap, it’s BYOB by the fire pits for now.
Patricia Sheridan: psheridan@post-gazette.com. Twitter: @pasheridan
First Published: August 5, 2019, 12:00 p.m.