ANCRAM - Camp Anne, the former Camp Natchez on Four Corners Road, was dedicated in ceremonies July 18.

The camp is operated by AHRC, the New York City Chapter of NYSARC, Inc., and is a summer camp that serves children and adults with moderate, severe or profound ranges of mental retardation, who may also have physical and/or medical needs.

Camp activities include arts and crafts, boating, cooking, dance, music, nature, sports, swimming and other camp wide events. Named for Anne Kraus, former president and board member of the organization, the camp replaces Camp Catskill, an upstate New York summer camp run by AHRC for decades. Architects Robert Orr & Associates created the campus of 20 buildings for the camp.

Some of the buildings are new and some are expanded or renovated older structures. Among them are a dining hall, a main assembly building and sleeping cabins.

More than 500 campers will come to the camp during the course of the summer. Depending on their condition, some campers will occupy cabins with regulated temperature control systems and special support equipment.

Ambulatory campers sleep in cabins that are open, with window screens.

"Our challenge was to create an overall unified look that is inspired by the best in classic Adirondacks architecture of the 19th and early 20th century but executed on a modest budget," said Mr. Orr.

"We designed pitched roofs and dormers and utilized a common dark brown palette for painting the outside of the buildings, with a green trim for the windows and roof edges.

"For the dining hall, which is the centerpiece of the camp, we utilized framing lumber for the posts and brackets on the exterior," he said, noting his highly cost-effective use of materials, resulting in a post-and-beam look when viewed from a distance.

The interiors of the camp's buildings feature conventional trusses, that are sized to add a feeling of substantial weight and structure.

The cost of the building and renovations project was not disclosed by AHRC. Funds for the project came from New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and charitable donations raised by AHRC.

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Click here to view photos of the newly-renovated campus and buildings.