Colebrook, CT – A dedication for The Cabin at Camp Jewell was held on June 5, in memory of Yvette and Arthur Eder.
Camp Jewell was founded by the Hartford YMCA in 1901 on the banks of New Hampshire’s Lake Swanzey with all of three tents, cooking utensils and a pair of rowboats. In 1955, the camp opened its doors in Colebrook for the first time.
Camp Jewell interior
A dated and worn cabin on a sloping site was replaced to accommodate two separate groups of 12 campers plus one chaperone. Each group required its own bathroom. A common living room, separate from the sleeping areas, was a necessity since the cabins are not only used by boys and girls age 9-16 but also by families and corporate and community groups. Camp Jewell also hosts Camp Rising Sun, a program that welcomes children age 5-17 who have faced a cancer diagnosis, for a weeklong camp at no cost. The new cabin had to be fully accessible and inclusive to allow for equally shared experiences of all campers.
“Because the YMCA and Camp Rising Sun rely on donations to fund many of their operations, the budget for this project was extremely tight,” said James D. Bell, AIA, ACHA, a principal with the Wethersfield firm, Moser Pilon Nelson, Architects, LLC. “The original design concept was almost twice the allocated budget. Working with a dedicated team of professionals, we were able to provide a building that meets the program needs along with the budget constraints to provide an updated facility that should serve the community needs for many years to come.”
