House of the Day: Historic Lodge in the Adirondacks

They had me at the fireplaces. There is something about a massive stone fireplace or nine that just gets my heart going pitter-patter. The Camp Kwenogamac lodge on New York's Long Lake -- listed for sale now at $6,495,000 and built in 1903 for the surgeon who literally wrote the textbook on the use of antiseptics -- hosted diplomats, opera singers, and a number of celebrity contemporaries, including Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and Gene Tunney, the champion prizefighter.

Secluded and surrounded by wilderness, the 42-acre gated estate was completely renovated, beginning in 2000, and is now a green, self-sufficient home. The original historic lodge, now used in summer, has six bedrooms and three fireplaces, along with a historic library.

The new guest lodge, suitable for year-round use, has three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, a great room with full kitchen, and another three fireplaces.