The first time you see a Berkshire Cottage you may wonder, “What is that?” Because the “cottage” may now be a luxury hotel, a house museum, or even a restaurant. Or it may still be what long ago it was built to be a private home. The Berkshire Cottages are mansions from the gilded age. Many are still available to visit - as hotels, spas or non-profit organizatons.
John W. Sloane was no stranger to the Berkshires or Lenox when he and his wife, Adela Berry Sloane, built their Tudor-style cottage in 1894. His brother, William Sloane, and his wife, Emily Vanderbilt Sloane, built the nearby estate, Elm Court, in 1886.
The brothers, who owned W & J Sloane, were Scottish immigrants who made their fortune importing oriental rugs and selling home furnishing. The brothers established the first home furnishing store in the country and soon became a favorite of the New York elite.
When Sloane bought the property in 1894, another mansion by the name of Wyndhurst already occupied the hill. That mansion, built by Gen. John F. Rathborne in 1869 was razed by Sloane. Rathborne purchased the land and Beecher s Cottage, a small farm house, for $8,000 from the Rev. Ward Beecher, brother of author Harriet Beecher Stowe.