voices & views: A Grand Evolution
Welcome Home It’s no secret that Blantyre is being renovated, and while it’s not yet ready for its big reveal, Ken Fulk—the new co-owner and design star—gave The B the inside scoop. Here’s what’s in the works at the historic and beloved Lenox property (shhhhhh…). By Amy Conway • Photographs by John Dolan
“I was always moved by architecture and history. I was always interested in the past, in buildings and the people who had occupied them,” said Ken Fulk, celebrated designer, hospitality guru, and passionate preservationist. He is partnering with Clark Lyda, developer and historic preservation specialist, on the renovation and relaunch of Blantyre. With their keen interest in the past, it’s no wonder they fell in love with the Gilded Age estate in Lenox, built in 1902 and later turned into a luxury hotel. A couple of Fulk’s other recent projects served as inspiration for him to take on this endeavor: He did a major renovation of St. Joseph’s Church, on San Francisco’s National Register of Historic Places, and rescued an old home once owned by an author and activist in Provincetown. Both are now non-profit artist societies, enriching their communities through creativity and culture. “These are properties that have historic structures, but also beautiful pasts and wonderful stories. These things get erased, one granite countertop at a time,” said Fulk. His goal: to honor what was there— eccentricities and all—while reinventing with respect, relevance, and vibrance. When he saw Blantyre, he knew it needed a similar treatment.
The Progress “Originally, we thought, ‘Oh, we’re going to restore the mansion and open right up,’” said Fulk. “But restoring the mansion took far more than you might have hoped, because so many of the systems, and
42
THE B • Fall 2023
windows and doors and those things, were at the end of their lives. If you’re going to invest the sort of money that we are, you need to make sure that it’s set up for the next 100 years.” They’re also undoing some of the changes made in the ‘80s and ‘90s. This painstaking approach means the renovation is going more slowly than they thought, with reopening now planned for late next year. Their powerhouse team includes Michael G. Imber, based in Texas—”really more of a poet than an architect,” said Fulk—as well Dan Pearson, from England, who Fulk calls “perhaps one of the greatest landscape architects alive.” David Pupo Pierce, Blantyre’s former director of operations and de facto historian, is on board, as well.
The Vision Fulk and Lyda are respectful of the fact that connections to history are strong here. “We don’t have the hubris to think that we’re locals. We want everyone to feel attached to Blantyre,” said Fulk. In his work as a designer, Fulk understands the importance of balancing the familiar and the new. “People have a nostalgic idea about Blantyre, even if they’ve never even been—they know what it’s supposed to feel like. So it’s important that we deliver, and almost over deliver, on that promise,” he said. The result will speak to its past without feeling like a museum. “Things have to be truly, deeply comfortable,” said Fulk. “There