Glendening Boathouse

The Glendening Boathouse traces its design antecedents to the great nineteenth century boathouses of the Schuylkill and Charles Rivers, coupled with the regional influence of traditional Adirondack style. Clad in natural red cedar shingles, the building rises from a base of native New York bluestone that reference the buildings of the Colgate campus.

Located three miles from campus on residential Lake Moraine, the design had to meet the needs of intercollegiate rowing and recreational boating programs, while fitting in with a community of lakeside homes and cottages. The building houses three boat bays on the ground level, along with locker rooms and coaches’ offices. The upper level is a large multipurpose space with heavy timber beams and trusses supporting a tall, clerestoried cupola. French doors set into semicircular expanses of glass face both the lake and the land side, and open onto wide exterior balconies.